Dictatorship
by jilnachtaugen
Summary: Hotaru Tachibana, like so many, fled the dictatorship of the man who murdered her parents. The Tensora region is where she goes, in search of comrades to help her fight and bring down the monster and his empire. Will she be able to find the fighters she is hoping for in this place ruled by violence? Justice never had such an ambiguous meaning. AU Hotaru x Matsuoka
1. Oath

**Hi guys! I always thought it was such a shame that a great story like this never has any long fics, so I'm making my own. Little advice for all of you anime lovers : if you've only seen the anime (aoharuxkikanjuu) go read the manga (seishunxkikanjuu). The story continues and it only gets better! We get introduced to amazing new characters and the story is as entertaining as ever. I really recommend it!**

 **Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy this fic. It's an AU, and it will take on some darker themes. There will be some humor but not as frequent as in the anime. The characters are evolving in hostile environment so it will be mostly serious.**

 **Enjoy!**

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 _I used to read a lot of stories about that. When an evil man takes control of an entire kingdom after murdering the king. And the hero has to save the kingdom. No one asked for this. I did not. The people of our country did not either. But that day… the day that the previous Supreme Leader was assassinated by his own son, and that Tamaki Kagetora ascended on the throne, all our worlds crumbled. The new laws made sure only the rich could get richer and the poor would stay poor. Everything and everyone was constantly monitored The country is an island so no one is able to run away. The people who run away from the dictator, can do nothing other than go to the abandoned cities of Tensora, a region that had been evacuated completely in the past because of epidemics caused by the explosion of a factory fifty years ago. But everyone knows that even during the previous Leader's reign, it was used for smuggling weapon and drug trafficking. Most of the people go there now. The ones who try to flee the country are easily found and killed. And even when people get to Tensora, everyday is a never-ending battle to keep on living. All crime is legal to get what you want. Then big gangs take over different territories and when more than one are fighting over them, a lot of innocent people get caught up in it. Four years after the beginning of the dictatorship, the situation has stabilized in Tensora. But a new gang war can began anytime. Still, people had no choice but to go there. The safest option for them was to join the strongest gang they could find. Even women and children. As for the people who weren't part of the nobles and who stayed in the main regions, they mostly made profit by selling weapons, foods and supplies to the gangs in Tensora. In one word, our country as we knew it, died to leave behind this chaos of a world, where anyone could die any day._

 _And just like the others, I had no choice but to flee to Tensora to escape Tamaki Kagetora. My name is Hotaru Tachibana. And my quest, is to find the resistance and take down the dictator. If I should die doing so, then so be it. I will not let him destroy this country anymore. Even if I have to kill him. That is my oath._

* * *

 **Dorado City, Tensora Region**

Rotting. There was no other words to describe this desolated city she was looking at. The streets were dirty, the buildings had cracks everywhere. The sun was starting to set, but the heat was awful. In the streets were beggars. Man, woman, children… Some were fighting dogs for the carcass of a dead pigeon. The sound of the wind blowing through the streets made the whole scenery even more miserable. Everything here was wrong and disgusting. Hidden under her cape, she made her way through the streets with a quick pace. She didn't know where she was going. She was simply wandering, looking for some place to find food. After a fifteen minute walk, she caught a sign on top of a door, saying 'Food for trade'. She didn't know what it meant but still entered the place. People were indeed eating in here, in small groups. The tables and everything in here threatened to crumble anytime, but at least it was clean. She approached the counter, still hiding under her cloak.

"Excuse me, sir?" She asked the man on the other side. "How much for a meal?"

"How much? Depends what you got on you kid." Replied the big man.

"I have five hundred juries…"

"You're new in town aren't you?" He interrupted. "We don't take money here kid. In Tensora, only the gangs do that. Small timers like us trade."

The kid looked confused. She hadn't thought about that. She did have some things in her bag she could trade but… "I'll give you a full meal for the cloak." Said the man, interrupting her thoughts.

"That's all?" Asked the girl.

"Yeah."

She hesitated a second. She didn't like the idea of walking around with everyone being able to see her. But her growling stomach made her abandon all apprehension and she took it off. She handed it over to the man who took it before handing her a tray with some sort of stew in a plate, an apple, a piece of bread and a glass of water. She grabbed it and was about to go sit at a free table but he called out to her once more. The girl's hair was so short she could easily be mistaken for a boy. But the clothes she was wearing were betraying her gender.

"Listen kid. Find new clothes as soon as you can if you want to fit in. And also, don't talk to anyone about your cash money. It'll get you in trouble."

She didn't understand but nodded before thanking the man, sitting down, taking her bag off her shoulder and started eating. The food wasn't that good but it was a meal. She didn't have a right to complain. In this town, this was probably a king's meal. She ate every bite slowly, thinking about what she would do next. She needed to find a place to sleep. And when tomorrow, she'd start looking for them. She knew the goal. She just didn't know the method yet. But she would figure it out. Resolve was everything. Her skills would make her succeed. She brought back the tray and thanked the shopkeeper once more before grabbing her bag and exiting. She once more wandered around the city, trying to find some good place to sleep. She sighed remembering the time she didn't have to worry about where she would sleep, when she would eat. She shook off that thought. Things would never go back to the way it was. Her father and her mother were gone. She had no one left. Thanks to Tamaki Kagetora. She clenched her teeth just thinking about that man. He had taken everything from her and from so many others. He would pay dearly.

"Aaah!"

The man's scream pulled her out of her daydreaming and she hurried towards the alley where the noise was coming from. She found herself at the entrance an almost completely deserted. Almost. A man was on the floor with a bloody nose and seemed to be unconscious. And a little further, a girl with long pink hair held in a high ponytail was crouching in front of a woman kneeling on the floor with a young boy in her arms. The child was so pale, it was obvious he was sick. The girl with the pink hair was mixing something in a small recipient. When she saw her, the pinkette frowned and she put down the recipient and took the strap of her bag off her shoulder before taking a knife out of nowhere and standing up. Hotaru took a step back.

"Are you this guy's partner? You wanna try and steal my bag too?"

"No, you're wrong! I'm..." Started the blondie.

But before she could even finish, the pinkette started running towards her at a really quick speed and sliced the air with the intention of hitting her face. But the blondie ducked and easily dodged the knife. She had a great opening and hit the girl in the stomach with her palm, strongly enough to make her back off a couple steps and cut off her breath. The pinkette fell on one knee and panted while still throwing her a murderous glare. Hotaru raised her hands in sign of reassurance.

"Hey, calm down! I promise I'm not here to steal or hurt anyone."

The glare of the girl seemed to relax a bit and she got back to her feet. She put her knife away. "I believe you." She stated, with a ton that meant the opposite.

She returned next to the woman and picked up the recipient that she started stirring with a spoon again, as if the encounter never happened. She then gave it to the child and helped him drink it. He made a face. The liquid was probably very bitter. The pinkette smiled before addressing the woman.

"There you go. The vitamins should help him recover easily now. Here take this lemon and make him drink more just in case. And make sure to keep him warm at night."

The woman's voice lit up with happiness and tears of joy escaped her eyes. "Thank you so much! How can I ever repay you?"

"Live through this. That's all I'm asking for." She replied with a smile.

The woman thanked her again and walked away with her child in her arms. The pink-haired girl started putting in her single strap bag the stuff she had used to make the potion. She was wearing just a brown tank top, kaki-green pants and black boots. On the back of her belt, there was a gun, as for the long knife she had used, it's holster was strapped on the side of her right thigh. With that glare on her face, she really looked like a soldier on a mission. She looked up.

"How long are you going to stay there staring at me? It's creepy you know."

"Sorry. Do you need help?"

She stopped and looked at Hotaru again. "You're new around here aren't you? There aren't many people who offer help to a stranger for nothing."

"You just did. With that woman. That was medicine you gave to the boy? That makes you a kind person."

She frowned. "You seem like the overly trusting type. Be careful. That can get you killed here."

Hotaru smiled. In a way, she was trying to warn her about the danger here. The blondie approached and helped the girl put her stuff away.

"What's your name?" She asked. "You don't have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable."

"Give me yours first." She snapped back, not interrupting her packing.

"You're... very suspicious."

"Welcome to Tensora. You better learn to be suspicious if you want to stay alive here. The least plagued by Kagetora place in the country is far from the safe haven you were expecting."

"I wasn't expecting a haven. I don't plan on staying here anyways."

"Then why did you even bother to come?" Said the pinkette closing her bag and getting up.

"I'm looking for some people. Maybe you can help me."

The next thing she knew, Hotaru found herself pushed against the wall and the knife right under her throat. "Listen here. I don't even know who you are. For all I know, you could be someone sent from Center. No matter how I look at this, the safest option for me is to get rid of you."

"Why? Are you... someone important?" Asked the blondie.

She then felt the point of the knife penetrate the skin slightly. "I'm giving you sixty seconds to tell me who you are and convince me that you're not a threat to me." She snapped.

"But..."

"Fifty seconds."

Alright, that was it. The blond girl gave the menacing pinkette a serious look. "I have no reason to tell you why I am here either. If it interests you, I'm not after you or anyone else here. I'm looking for some specific people to make them ask for help. I don't have time to waste playing victim. So please move. If I have to use force, I will."

The pinkette froze. The person in front of her... the bloodlust oozing from her was overwhelming. She meant business. The knife holder quickly understood that the difference in their skills was tremendous. If they engaged in a fight, she would loose. She lowered her knife and took a step back.

"I want your name before I give you mine." She said putting the knife away.

"Hotaru Tachibana." Answered the blondie.

"I'm Kanae Yajima."

Hotaru was about to ask something when a couple of man appeared at the end of the alley. All had one thing in common. A dragon tattoo on the left shoulder.

"Crap!" Cursed Kanae, before grabbing her bag, passing the buckle over her head, grabbing Hotaru's shirt and pulling her behind herself. "Run!"

The man started chasing the two girls. The two runaways, maneuvered through the streets randomly, until they found themselves in a dead end.

"Shit!" Cursed Kanae. "Wrong turn."

"You ladies got nowhere to go now!" Said one of the guys chasing them.

"Yajima!" Called out Hotaru. The pinkette turned around and saw the blondie, her back against the wall, knees bent and her hands brought together. Understanding immediately Kanae ran towards her, jumped so that she would step on Hotaru's hands and the blondie sent her in the air as high as she could. The girl managed to grab on to the edge of a window and pull herself inside the building.

'What is that idiot thinking?' She thought as she took her gun out and looked out the window. She fired one shot at the gang's feet. The men froze and looked up.

"Don't move unless you want a bullet in the brain, assholes!" She warned. She then took her rope from her back quickly tied it to the window frame that was still holding. "Climb up!" She ordered the blondie. "Take one more step, you bastards, I dare you!"

She waited for Hotaru to join her before quickly taking back her rope and stuffing it into her bag. "Come on."

Both girls exited the building through another side and took a tranquil pace as they walked in the streets. The sun was almost completely gone now. Hotaru was just following Kanae, but the pinkette wasn't saying anything. She didn't for a while until Hotaru asked her this.

"These people were after you, weren't they Yajima? Why?"

"Girl, you're way too curious for your own good. But I guess I should thank you for saving me back there. I'm gonna tell you a few things on how to survive here."

"Really?" The blond girl's face lit up like a little kid's would in front of chocolate.

"Let's get to my hideout first."

Kanae led Hotaru to the cave of an abandoned house, where there where a lot of supplies in food clothes and a bunch of other things. The pinkette locked the trap and turned on a flashlight that was hanging from the ceiling. "Take off your clothes." She ordered.

"What?"

"You can't stay in those clothes." Explained the pinkette. "With your haircut and flat chest, you can easily pass as a boy and trust me, in Tensora, that is a huge advantage."

"Why?"

"Do I need to explain everything to you? Being a girl alone here, without a group or gang is like asking to get kidnapped for women trafficking or worse. Especially someone as naive as you. Now do what I say."

The blond girl started taking off her nice clothes and the pinkette started searching through the piles of clothes. She took out a white band, a beige colored sleeveless military jacket with an orange hoodie, a black mid sleeved shirt, beige colored shorts, black fingerless military gloves that covered the forearms, black knee protectors, and dark brown boots that covered her tibias.

"What's the band for?" Asked the blondie.

"For your chest, dummy. I can tell you're the type that doesn't wear a bra because you think your chest is too flat. Trust me even you need that, you tomboy."

"You didn't have to spell it out so explicitly..." Mumbled the complexed girl. But none the less, she wrapped the band around her chest before putting on the rest of the clothes.

"What about you Yajima?"

"Unlike you, I can't hide my chest, so hiding the fact that I'm a girl is a little difficult. But I can take care of myself so it's fine. I'm not alone most of the time."

"Why were these guys after you?"

The pinkette sighed knowing the girl wasn't going to leave her alone. "You can call me Kanae. They were after me because I'm a medic. Medics are extremely rare in Tensora and gangs want to catch them to submit people to their territories. If you're sick, join our gang we have a medic, but you have to work for us. That's how it works."

"Wouldn't it be safer for you to join a gang?"

"Don't insult me. I heal people because they need to be healed and that's that. No one picks for me who I get to treat or not. You see this?" She lifted her shirt and showed the blondie a tattooed red star on her abdomen. "The Red Stars are medics who swore not to serve any gang. We each have our own territory and we also collect information when we can. If you meet a Red Star, you know you're in good hands."

"I see."

"Now listen up, Hotaru. These are rules you will have to follow in order to survive here. First off, don't tell anyone you're a girl. Ever. Second, don't trust anyone. Always stay on guard when people offer you things for free. Remember it's all about survival. Third, if you have real money, save it to deal with gangs in case of trouble. You have to be careful, here there are two laws. The law of the strongest and the law of equivalent exchange. Make sure you know which one they deal with before making any decisions."

"Alright. Thank you Kanae. I appreciate the help."

"You saved me today, I was just repaying. Besides, if you hadn't been there, I wouldn't have made that wrong turn."

"Then I owe you?"

"You want to repay me? Don't die. How old are you anyway?"

"Seventeen. And you?"

"Nineteen. Why are you here in Dorado? I'll be honest with you, you act like a kid who hasn't realized the state of the country yet." Asked the medic while serving her new friend a cup of warm tea. "You told me you were looking for someone? Who are they?"

"The resistance."

The medic choked on her tea a little. "Are you serious?" Said Kanae raising an eyebrow. "That's a dumb rumor. Sure their might be some resistance against the gangs who try to take over cities but aside from that, no one in this dump is crazy enough to try and going up against Tamaki Kagetora and his cursed special force."

"Special force? You mean Hoshishiro, the special section of the army for brilliant minds and fighters?"

"Have you been living under a rock? After Kagetora took over, Hoshishiro became the force to dig out the resistants. The new commander is cruel and deviously clever. He sends people every months in every city in Tensora to inspect gang activities. The idiots think the new Supreme Leader can't reach us here, but it's a lie. We're constantly under surveillance. The resistance doesn't exist. Sorry to break it to you, but you have to give up."

The blonde girl was quiet now. Staring at the ground and gripping her cup like she wanted to break it. Kanae stayed quiet as well. She hadn't meant to crush the girl's spirit. But she couldn't let her have false hopes either. "Look, if you want, I can take you to a good place. The safest I know in all of Tensora..."

"I'll create it."

"What?"

"If the resistance doesn't exist, then I'll create it!" Shouted the blondie suddenly standing, which almost made the medic jump out of her skin. "I can't believe that no one in here, that lives this hell of a life can't feel the least bit of anger towards Kagetora! There has to be some people who are willing to fight! If not for themselves then for their families and for the future of our country. We can't leave things as they are!"

"Even if there are, how are you going to find them?"

"I'll find a way!"

"What makes you think they'll want to follow a seventeen year old that doesn't know anything about the world and that's naive as hell?"

"I won't impose myself as the leader if I don't have to be. But I want to fight and I will. Justice has to prevail. People have been enduring this for four years! Just how many more until he destroys everything? How can anyone allow this to go any further? And if I have to fight alone I will!"

The girl's eyes were burning with determination and anger. She was crazy. Crazy and full of a deep sense of justice that no one could understand. Kanae looked at the girl with a stunned face for a long minute before relaxing. "Well, Miss I want to save the world by myself. You can't do it if you don't get any sleep." The pinkette tossed her a sleeping bag. "I can't guarantee anything, but I can let you meet someone."

Hotaru's face lit up again. "Thank you so much Kanae! I'm so glad I met you!"

The pinkette raised an eyebrow before tossing her an old but clean pillow. "Go to sleep."

Kanae pretended to sleep until she heard Hotaru snore. 'Damn, this girl will have no trouble passing for a guy.' She then silently got up, went outside and then climbed to the roof. Once there, she extended the antenna of her radio and searched for the right frequency.

"Pink Star to Golden Retriever. Do you read me?"

" _Golden Retriever to Pink Star. I copy. Strange for you to call at this hour, Pink. Are you feeling lonely? I can think of something you and I can do together."_

"Try your lame pick up lines on someone else, Golden."

" _I'm just kidding Pink. Husky's one hell of a lucky bastard. Seriously, though what's going on?"_

"I have fresh meat for you."

" _What kind?"_

"Untamed, young, naive, stubborn as hell, with crazy potential and an overwhelming amount of bloodlust."

" _Perfect. Bring him tomorrow. Thanks Pink Star. Where d'you find him?"_

"I was found. The kid saved my butt from a gang. Although, I wouldn't have had any problems dealing with them."

" _Sounds like an interesting one. Good work. Taming him should be fun."_

"What do you want me to do?"

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 **Please leave a review!**


	2. Who the hell are you guys ?

**Hi guys! Time to introduce a certain blond hottie and a shady sniper.**

 **Enjoy!**

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The next morning, the two girls ate breakfast (if you could call canned food breakfast) in Kanae's hideout. Then the medic took the newbie throughout the town. They ended up in a crowded street where people were trading for a lot of things. Food, items, batteries, torchlights, lighters, clothes... it was like an old market place. Only people were trading and not buying. Hotaru was looking everywhere, impressed at how people had managed to get buy and stabilize their lives a little. It wasn't like her fancy home, where everything she'd wanted was given to her on a silver platter. It showed that people were still fighting to live. She was impresses by the resourcefulness of human kind. It meant there was a will and a hope to live. And that was good. It made the boyish looking girl smile to herself.

"Kanae!" Suddenly called out a man's voice from behind. Both girls turned around to see the man that was selling apples standing behind them.

"Mr Yoshida, what is it?"

"Could you come by sometime today? My little girl's been in bed for two days with a fever..."

"I'll come as soon as I'm done with this one." She told the man. "Wait for me at the stand. You should go back before someone steals your apples."

"Thank you so much." Said the man, bowing down respectfully.

"I hope your daughter feels better soon." Said Hotaru with a smile.

The man gave her a surprised look but smiled back. "Thank you young man." With that he returned to his stand and the girls resumed there walk.

"You're gonna have to stop that." Said the medic, frowning.

"Stop what?"

"Being so nice to everyone. Here it's extremely weird. When someone you don't know approaches you, growl. That's the rule. Speaking of which." She took a knife in a holster out of her bag. "Take this. Being unarmed here is suicide."

Hotaru took the weapon and strapped it to her left boot. "Are you a lefty?" Asked the medic.

"Ambidextrous." Replied the blondie standing back up. "I was a lefty but I was forced to train with my right hand so I became ambidextrous."

"Very useful." Commented the red star. "Especially in a fight."

"Who is this guy you're taking me to? You said he could help me find the resistance..."

"Correction. I said he might be able to help you. I can't promise anything. He's a greedy bastard but his information network is the best in all of Tensora. Word is he deals in the entire region."

"What's his name?"

"Hell if I know. Everyone calls him Python. I'm guessing even you can imagine why."

Shivers travelled down Hotaru's spine. And the pinkette continued. "You'll have to be careful with him. He's manipulative like a devil and he'll try to get something out of you while you'll try to get something out of him."

"Equivalent exchange law?"

"Exactly."

As they kept walking, the alleys got narrower, darker, emptier and a lot more sinister. Kanae wasn't saying anything but was visibly on guard. That made the blondie uneasy. They arrived at a big, grey and cracked building where two men that looked pretty young were guarding the entrance, smoking and shotguns in there hands. They blocked the way when they saw us.

"You got business inside, pinky?" Asked one of them with a threatening voice.

Kanae frowned. "Move out of the way, bird's for brain. I have a package for Python."

"Yeah? What kind?" Said the other.

"His lunch. Fresh meat just out of the fridge."

The two moved out of the way, before smiling. "If you're free this evening cutie, how about you and I go out for a drink?"

"Drop dead, jerk-face." Replied the medic, sticking her tongue out to him.

The two girls stepped inside the creepy building and climbed the stairs to the third floor. They reached a double-door where two more guards were waiting. "Is Python in?" Asked the pinkette.

"Yeah. He's waiting."

The medic turned to the blondie. "This is where I leave you. Good luck, Hotaru."

She presented a hand that the blondie shook. "Thanks for everything Kanae."

"Remember what I told you. Be careful."

"I will."

The medic turned around and walked away in the opposite direction. Hotaru waited for her to disappear in the staircase before turning to the guards again. They opened the door and let her in. The room was big, held by pillars the same colors as the walls. Dark. There, men were leaning against the pillar, smoking and talking. But all of them turned to her when she approached. There was a couch in the middle of the room. Sitting in it was a man with messy black hair and green eyes. He was also smoking and had a book in the other hand. He was wearing a black jacket over a white shirt, dark blue jeans as well as black gloves. There were piercings in his ears and they suited him quite well. Hotaru immediately noticed that he had a gun on him. And that made her almost hesitate to get closer but she forced herself to. She still stopped a good distance from the man in question. She waited for him to look up from his book. He closed it and then smiled. Smirking was what Hotaru was seeing though. She tightened her grip on her bag.

"Are you Python?" She asked.

"It's usually polite to present yourself before asking for someone else's name kid."

"I'm Hotaru Tachibana." She replied immediately. "Please answer my question."

"I am Python. I heard from a certain medic that you were looking for information. You came to the right place. What can I do for you, kid?"

"How much will this cost?" Asked the blondie, wanting to get that out of the way.

"That depends on the information."

"I'm looking for the resistance. I heard that they were hiding somewhere in Tensora. And I need help finding them."

The man looked at her like she'd just told him she wanted to go to heaven without dying, before laughing hysterically. Everyone in the room laughed along and Hotaru tensed up, waiting for the man to calm down. When he did he looked at her with amused eyes. "Is this your first time in Tensora?"

"It is. I arrived yesterday." Replied the annoyed girl.

"Sorry to break it to you kid, but there is no resistance. No one is crazy enough to go against the Tiger and his Special Force. You should drop the idea."

"Then you don't know..."

"It's not that I don't know. I know that they don't exist. You should forget about that crazy idea. Why don't you join me instead?"

"What?"

"You heard me."

She threw him a murderous glare. "I'm not into criminal activities."

"Here, that means living. Nothing wrong with that."

"It is in my book." Stubbornly replied the girl. "You guys are nothing but bandits that use the easy way to survive while disregarding justice and other people's rights. I hate people like you and I usually beat them up. You're lucky I don't have time to waste with minor scumbags right now. Sorry for taking your time, vile snake." Spat the girl. She was forcing herself to stay focused and not break this guy's jaw. She really didn't have time to waste. Since Kanae had been right since the beginning, then the tomboy would just have to do it all herself. Hotaru turned around and started walking quickly to the exit. She heard him get up but didn't turn around.

"Where do you think you're going kid?" He said calmly.

Two men blocked the door. The girl frowned and threw a hateful look at the thugs. "Out of the way." She said with a low and threatening voice.

"I believe you haven't paid us yet, little brat."

Hotaru turned around and threw him an angry glare. "You said it yourself : the price depends on the information. And it's worth nothing to me. Therefore, I don't owe you anything."

"Looks like someone needs to be taught some manners."

Hotaru dropped her bag and turned to face the thug again. The look she threw him was even more intense and murderous than before. She cracked her knuckle in her hand. "Don't push me. You've put me in a foul mood and I won't be able to hold back."

"Hm. The weaker they are, the louder they bark don't they?" Said Python grinning at the kid, before commanding his men. "Take this shrimp to the pit. Let's see just how gutsy you are in a tough situation Hotaru Tachibana."

One of the men guarding the door stepped forward and grabbed Hotaru by the arm roughly …. only to be thrown over her shoulder and landing heavily on his back. The girl stepped on his shoulder and twisted his arm some more, making him grunt in pain. Everyone in the room froze in shock. The gorilla was at least three times her size and much taller in appearance. How did this shrimp of a kid manage to send him to the floor so easily?

"I warned you." She pat looking at Python again. "I'm a lot stronger than I look."

Before the second on could move, she ran to him and sent her fist flying in his face, before colliding her knee with his gut. Python ordered his man to move there asses and do something about her. But each time another approached her, he ended up on the ground, writhing in pain. And when they didn't come to her, she rushed to them. One got his nose broken, another received a kick in the ribs and a nasty cracking sound was heard and yet another ended up with a dislocated knee. After quite literally moping the floor with twelve of them, the tomboy took a break and turned to face Python.

"Are you next?" She asked, as she slowly started to walk towards her.

The thug stayed frozen, looking at this shrimp. He'd rarely seen this kind of strength in someone this young. What a scary kid. He was dangerous no doubt and this time he coming for his head this time. Those eyes weren't lying. Not wanting to risk it, he grabbed his gun and pointed it at the girl. Hotaru stopped in her track and got ready to dodge. As fast as she was, she couldn't beat a speeding bullet.

"It's too bad kid. I mean that. You would've made a great addition to the gang." He said, before aiming.

POW!

The gunshot was followed by a painful scream. But it wasn't Hotaru who'd screamed. Nor was it Python's gun that had fired. The thug took a few steps back after dropping his weapon and held his bleeding shoulder. All eyes looked up in the direction where the shot had come from and landed on one of the frameless windows. A man was sitting on the edge of one, pointing one of two guns at the thug. Hotaru couldn't discern his face very well because of the sunlight in her face, but when he spoke, she found herself thinking his voice was incredibly warm. Something she'd missed these past four years.

"Picking on a kid? You really are full of crap, Python." He said.

"Crap. It's Toy Gun." Cursed the wounded man.

"Tell your men to back down." Ordered the newcomer. "You're all in my sniper's viewfinder, and you should probably know already that he doesn't miss."

After a quick order from their boss, all of them dropped their weapons. The man jumped off the edge and landed swiftly on the ground and Hotaru's eyes widened as she discerned his face. This man was gorgeous. His blond, spiky hair was almost as bright as the sun and his blue eyes could've been bluer than sapphires. The silver piercings in his ear and his confident smile made him look even handsomer. Hotaru felt her heart rise in her chest. She's rarely seen someone this beautiful, not even when she lived in the capital. Not only because of physical beauty but there was something emitting from him that made him seem … invincible and righteous. And to the tomboy, that was the most breathtaking sight in the world. He approached the wounded thug who looked uneasy.

"Looks like I finally found your ugly face. You're a slippery one."

"What are you gonna do now Matsuoka? Kill me?"

"As tempting as that sound, I don't have any more bullets to waste on your account." Replied the one named Matsuoka. His smile then faded and he pointed his gun at the dealer's forehead. "But if I ever see you trafficking in Tensora again, the next one will go through your head. We don't need anymore scumbags like you around. Am I clear?"

Python clenched his teeth and didn't reply, but it was clear he didn't want to try anything stupid with this man. Matsuoka turned to the rest of the men. "That goes for any of you." He said, loud enough for all of them to hear. "I have a pretty good eye and an excellent memory. I'll remember your faces. And you better all be gone before nightfall."

He finally turned around and faced her, and all the tomboy could do was stare at this man who'd managed to put order here with a warning shot and a threat. He looked at her from head to toes, his eyes traveling up and down, so intensely that Hotaru felt like she was naked and the blood rushed to her cheeks. Her eyes wandered trying to focus on something other than this guy.

"You." He called out, with a serious look. "What was your name again?"

"H-Hotaru Tachibana..." She let out.

He stared some more again, before putting his gun back in his holster. He paced towards her with quick strides and stopped half a step away from her. She looked up at him, curiously. What did he want? And why was he staring at her like that? Without any warning he grabbed her chin gently and lifted her face towards him. A new, sneaky grin appeared on his face this time. Hotaru was confused as to what to think of him. Was that a reassuring grin?

"Hotaru Tachibana, huh? I like your spunk kid. What do you say, wanna be mine?"

"Huh?" Was all the girl manage to let out.

Both were so absorbed in each other that neither noticed Python picking up his gun with his other hand and aiming it towards the back of Matsuoka's head but …

POW!

The second the sound of another projectile echoed in the room, Python's lifeless body fell to the ground, a hole in his head. Hotaru froze at the sight. This was the second time in her life that she'd witnessed death this close. She stared at the body, her mind unable to focus on anything else. Just like that night. The night her parents were shot, their bodies had made similar noises while falling. Unlike her however, Matsuoka reacted quickly.

"Time to scram." He said grabbing her wrist with his free hand and racing towards the exit, pulling her behind him.

Some of the men tried to block their path, but weren't quick enough to draw their firearms. Matsuoka fired twice and both men dropped like flies. The blond man never stopped running and kept a firm grip on her wrist. The girl didn't know what to do though. Her body was used to rough exercising so she wasn't a dead weight to him, but her mind couldn't focus. Matsuoka dragged her up the stairs until they reached the rooftop.

"Hey kid. You know how to free run?"

"I …. never tried." Replied the girl. "But I think I can keep up."

The blond man smiled again.

'That kid really doesn't underestimate his capacities.' He thought. 'What a prize!'

"Good! Shout if it gets too hard."

Just as more of Python's goons were about to reach the roof, Matsuoka jumped off the edge backwards and grabbed on to the window of the highest floor. He kept moving like that, with the speed and agility of a cat, hanging on to whatever he could, be it window edges or broken down railings, until he reached a lower roof. He then turned around and gave Hotaru another big smile.

"Your turn kiddo!" He shouted, waving.

Hotaru quickly studied the path he had taken. One of the railings he'd hung on to seemed to be this close to breaking, so she looked for another. Her thoughts were interrupted when the gang members emerged from the building onto the roof. No time for thinking. The girl jumped and made her way down as best she could. She'd always been a natural at any kind of physical activity, but that was new to her and she could feel the adrenaline rush through her system. A smile made it's way to her face, and her mind hopelessly sighed at this. Being told that she was an adrenaline junkie all her life seemed very true now. The gang members tried to shoot her, but were shot down themselves by Matsuoka before they even had the chance to aim at the teen. When Hotaru finally landed next to him, the shots ceased. She leaned on her knees and panted. She hadn't realize how much hotter it had gotten since yesterday.

"Alright, let's get out of here before they find us." Said the blond man while putting away his gun.

"Wait, hold on a minute …" She called out.

"I'll explain later." He interrupted. "Hurry up if you don't want to get caught."

He went on ahead and Hotaru growled, before following him. They walked out of the new building and Matsuoka led her through the streets of Dorado until they reached one dark alley. Where was this guys taking her? The impression of righteousness that she got from him could have been an illusion because of his pretty boy looks, but she was starting to get suspicious of what was inside.

"Hey, hold on ..." She started. "Where are you taking me?"

"Somewhere safe, don't worry."

She frowned and came to an abrupt stop. "That's exactly the kind of thing an evil doer would say to get someone to do what they want." She stated, remembering Kanae's warning. "Who are you and what do you want? I'm not taking another step until you tell me."

The man stopped and turned around to face her. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw him smiling like a happy-go-lucky idiot. "Oh that's right! I haven't introduced myself. Sorry, I sort of forgot with the excitement."

"Excitement? We got shot at!" She protested, although she really wasn't one to talk.

He was about to reply when the sound of footsteps was heard moving towards them from the end of the dark alley. Hotaru got on guard and waited for the person to come out of the shadows. Was it another gang member? A man suddenly came in sight. He had messy raven black hair and glasses. His attire consisted of a chestnut colored scarf, green military cargo pants and a black military jacket over a white sweat, as well as glove. But the one thing standing out the most was his weapon. He was carrying a long gun, meant for snipers. Hotaru didn't know much about guns, but she didn't need to to figure out that this was probably the man that had killed Python. However, the expression on his face was unreadable. He seemed upset and worried at the same time. The girl immediately got on guard, but Matsuoka smiled at the newcomer.

"Hi Yukki. Nice work by the way."

Instead of acknowledging the praise, the dark haired man approached Matsuoka and frowned. "That was reckless Mattsun. You should have killed him with your first shot."

"You had my back didn't you? Thanks for saving my butt back there."

"Honestly, we've been through that already. We wasted too many bullets because of you."

"I'll make it up to you."

"How? Are you gonna go recover them in the corpses? That's not the issue."

"Are you gonna tell me what's going on?!" Suddenly shouted the hot head, tired of being ignored.

"Oh, sorry Hotaru." Said the handsome blond. "My name is Masamune Matsuoka. I'm the leader of Toy Gun. Nice to meet you. And this guy over here, is Tooru Yukimura." He said. "He's a gifted sniper. Yukki, this is Hotaru Tachibana."

The sniper looked at her with a now bored glare. "Ah, so that's the brat who was trying to make a deal with Python. That was pretty stupid by the way."

"Excuse me?"

How rude! This guy met her two seconds ago and he was already insulting her? Just who was this weirdo duo? And what in the world was Toy Gun? A thousand questions invaded her mind and she had to fight to make sense of it all.

"Never mind that!" She snapped. "What the hell do you want with me?"

The look on the blond man's face suddenly turned serious. "I already told you didn't I?"

He started walking with big paces towards her and in a threatening manner so much that when Hotaru tried to take a step back, she hit the wall behind her. Matsuoka placed two hands on her shoulders, holding them with a strong grip, as if he was trying to keep her from escaping. She tensed up in reaction. The same mischievous grin as before stretched across his face.

"I want you to be mine."

* * *

 **Hope you liked it! Please review!**


	3. Toy Gun

**Hey guys! Here's the new chapter where Hotaru doesn't really find the resistance she was looking for...**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"I want you to be mine."

It took a while for Hotaru's mind to process those words. If she was an adept at reflexes, her mind wasn't exactly as fast as her muscles. However when it did catch up, she punched the man in the guts and he stepped back holding his aching stomach.

"What the hell, you pervert!" Shouted the shocked girl. "What do you think you're doing to me?"

"Calm down, Mr hot-head." Said the dark haired man, who still looked as bored as before. "Mattsun didn't mean it like that."

"Huh?"

"He just meant we need your body." He stated nonchalantly.

"Why you …"

Rage started building up inside her. Those perverts had helped her because of their own selfish egos. They were no better than Python and his goons. And people like them was what polluted Tensora and their country. No wonder that with them around, others were too scared to do anything about the major problems here. She clenched her teeth and fists ready to give them a piece of her mind.

"Yukki, you're not helping." Said Matsuoka throwing him a reproachful look as he straightened up.

"What? I thought it was funny." He said not showing the slightest sign of amusement. "All joking aside Mattsun, are you sure you want this kid?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. He's perfect."

"Quit talking like I'm not here!" She shouted. "I swear if you guys are up to something evil, I will beat you to a pulp until there's nothing left."

"Calm down, kiddo." Said the blond man raising his hand. "I thought I heard you tell that lowlife that you were looking for the resistance."

"Yeah and that's the second time someone's told me that it didn't exist. So what?"

"Oh it does exist trust me. But it's way better to make others believe it doesn't. It makes it easier to recruit real fighters, determined enough to fight no matter what. Just like you." He explained with that same smile as before.

"I'm … not following."

"Wow, you're slow." Said Yukkimura.

"Quit insulting me already!"

Matsuoka took the glove of his right hand off and presented it to the confused girl. "Let me introduce myself properly. My name is Masamune Matsuoka, and we're Toy Gun. The resistance force set on fighting back against the Tiger's tyranny. And I want you to be one of us Hotaru Tachibana."

The girl's eyes widened in surprise not knowing what to respond. So there really was a resistance against Tamaki Kagetora? Hotaru's mouth hung open for a while, as she was unable to say anything for a while. She wasn't alone? There were people out there to fight with her. A warm feeling invaded her mind and she suddenly felt six feet tall. If they could fight, then they could win. They could save this country and bring down the dictator! Could it all be true? Hotaru took a deep breath before throwing a piercing glare at the blond man who never stopped smiling.

"Are you for real?" She asked, he voice filled with nothing but pure honesty. "Is that justice the goal you will strive for, no matter what?"

"Of course, kid." He replied confidently. "That's the reason we exist."

Taking a deep breath, she raised her hand to go grab the blond man's. Again with that serious and determined look, she squeezed his fingers with her own.

"Then count me in!" She declared. "I'll give you all my strength for this war, and I'll defeat the dictator."

Matsuoka's smile became even brighter, even though Hotaru wouldn't have thought it possible. 'This kid... I can feel the bloodlust through the shake like he's gonna crush my hand. Incredible.'

"Follow us." He told her.

The two men started walking deeper into the streets of Dorado and Hotaru followed them until they reached a vehicle that looked like an army jeep, but the logos had been scratched off.

"Where did you get that?" Wondered the curious teen.

"Let's talk when we're back at HQ." Said the sniper, as he jumped onto the passenger seat of the vehicle. "Haruki's gonna be pissed if we're late, Mattsun. Hurry up, newbie."

"Right."

The blondie jumped in the back of the vehicle, as the blond man started the engine. "So hum … who is this Haruki person?" Asked the girl, not sure how exactly to start a conversation with these guys.

"He's one of us." Replied Yukkimura, without adding anything else.

Hotaru hugged her legs and smiled to herself. 'This is amazing! I thought I'd have to do everything by myself but it looks like there are more fighters out there.'

How long had it been since she'd felt surrounded by trustworthy people? These past four years had been nothing but darkness and loneliness for her. But now things could change. Just like her mother used to say, for justice to prevail, will needs to be the strongest. After a fifteen minute drive through Dorado, the jeep entered the underground garage of another abandoned building. Matsuoka parked the car in a corner and then the three of them took old stairs to go up a few floors. The building looked like it had been abandoned mid-construction as it was empty and windows hadn't even been installed. Hotaru quietly followed the two gun wielders while observing the run down building. Once they reached the fourth or fifth floor, Matsuoka pushed open a door. The floor was like a giant room held up by aligned pillars. Sitting on what looked like a metal trunk, a man had his back turned to them and was cleaning different parts of a firearm. He turned his head when he heard the door. He was tall and with a slim figure. His hair was cut short and light brown and his eyes were light green but seemed to show very little light, as if betraying an extreme exhaustion. When the three of them approached, he stood up and turned to them completely. He was wearing military pants, boots, a black three-quarter-sleeves shirt and black gloves.

"Yo, Haruki." Said Matsuoka, raising a hand. "We're back."

"About time." He growled back. "What the hell took you so long? I finished my job an hour ago."

"Sorry about that. Yukki forgot the radio again, and we finally got a lead to find that bastard Python."

"So you got him?"

"Yeah." Said Matsuoka, who's expression suddenly got sadder, which Hotaru didn't fail to notice. The blond man took a cigaret out of his jacket and placed it in his mouth. "Do you have a light?"

Haruki growled before taking a lighter out of his pocket and bringing it to his comrade's face. "So how many bullets have you wasted this time?"

"Get off my back, will you?" Replied the blond man, slightly irritated before blowing the smoke out of his lungs. "We've got more important business."

"Is this the part where you tell me what the hell this is?" Said Haruki finally turning to Hotaru and acknowledging her presence.

The girl stiffened up when he looked at her. What was it with that contemptuous stare he was giving her even though he didn't know her at all?

'I guess Kanae was right about the constant mistrust of the people living here. I better make a good impression to get them to trust me.' She thought.

"I'm Hotaru Tachibana. Nice to meet you." She said.

Yukimura approached Haruki and explained. "Matsun wants him in the group. Don't ask me why though, I have no idea."

"You're joking right?" Snapped Haruki. "He's so scrawny, he looks like a girl. He wouldn't survive the first job."

Alright, that was it for the tomboy. "How rude! For your information I'm a …."

" _Don't tell anyone that you're a girl. Ever!"_

"A what?" Said Haruki, addressing her directly for the first time.

"A … a lot stronger than I look! And I'm not stupid." She finished. 'That was way too close!'

"Oh yeah? What do you think you're doing here, then?" Asked the merciless man.

What was she doing here? What did he mean by that? "I … came here to find the resistance and..."

"And you just randomly followed these two here, even though they could have been lying to you the whole time?" He interrupted.

Hotaru opened her mouth but her voice didn't come out. This guy was making sense. And Kanae had warned her to be careful and beware of liars and manipulators since they were so common in Tensora. Now that she thought about it, she didn't have the slightest proof that those guys truly were the resistance. All she knew is that they took out Python. Maybe they were just a rival gang and only had the intention of using her. She bit her lip at how impulsive and stupid she had been.

"Haruki's right you know." Said Matsuoka, earning himself the shocked look of the tomboy. The blond man leaned against one of the pillars and blew smoke out of his lungs again. "You're naive, impulsive and probably thick headed. Manipulating you is probably a child's game."

"Then why even bother bringing me here?" Asked the girl, as her anger started to rise inside.

A smirk appeared on the corner of his lips. "Why do you think?"

"So what you're telling me, is that you've tricked me?"

CRASH!

The instant that sentenced had been pronounced, Hotaru had moved, almost too fast for the human eye to follow. The next thing he knew, Matsuoka was practically pinned by the short blondie who had crashed her fist on the pillar, right next to his head. His eyes widened in shock. Hotaru was giving him a hateful and intense glare, once more showing off her bloodlust, only this time without restraint. How could she have been so naive? Of course this was all too good to be true.

"I thought I warned you already." She said, her voice dripping with murder intent. "Justice compels me to punish evil doers like you!"

'What the hell? A punch like that on solid concrete would've shattered anyone else's knuckle bones! Just what's he made of? And that bloodlust... Just what is he?'

Matsuoka smiled again and chuckled, making the pissed off girl even angrier. "What's so funny?"

"Sorry, sorry. I'm not laughing at you. Well not completely. I don't think you understand what we're trying to get across here." He grabbed his cigarette with two fingers and raised it at the teen's face level. "Allow me to explain in a more direct way."

The confused girl looked at the fuming cigarette confused, when Matsuoka dropped it and she followed it with her eyes on it's way to the ground. That small instant of distraction was all it took for the blond man to grab her wrist, twist it making her wince and then kick her behind the ankle. Too surprised to react fast enough, she violently hit the floor with her back, cutting off her breath in the process. By the time she opened her eyes again, a knee was pressed on her stomach to keep her from moving and he own knife was under her throat. How? In her entire life, Hotaru had never (and by never, she meant ever) been pushed down like this so easily. She was used to giving the beatings, not taking them. It was so new to her that she didn't even try to struggle to get free, instead staring blankly at the blond man that was trapping her.

"H-how..."

"You realize what I'm getting at now?" How could she not? It was pretty clear : she was weak. "You're skilled Hotaru, I knew that the second I saw you take out those guys. But you won't always meet losers like Python's men. You've got unbelievable raw power, but you have no clue how to use it properly. And when you meet people who are as skilled as you are and trained, like per say the Hoshishiro force, you'll be a sitting duck."

He was talking of the Special Force like real enemies. So they really were the resistance after all. And that little act was to show her that she wasn't invincible and still had a lot to learn. And she fell for it like an amateur. This realization made her clench her teeth in frustration. Matsuoka got off her and offered her a hand which she took almost unconsciously. He pulled her up to her feet before turning to his comrades who'd both been paying close attention.

"I'm not changing my mind you guys. I want him on the team. Skills like his are rare we just need to polish them."

"Except we don't have time for that, Matsun." Said Yukimura, giving his friend a concerned. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not against having another recruit. Seeing our situation right now, it would be best for us. But he'll have to learn in the field. Are you really willing to risk his life like that?"

"That's his decision to make Yukki." Replied the leader. "Hotaru?"

The tomboy remained silent a bit longer thinking over what had just been said. A few things were clearer. First off, she was now certain that these guys were the resistance. If they weren't they could have gotten anything from her when Mastuoka had her pinned down. Second, Matsuoka really wanted her to join. She was strong in her own right. After all, she'd spent her entire life challenging her own physical abilities. And thirdly, the two others didn't trust her and didn't want her around. Hotaru clenched her fists.

'So I'm not trusted? I suppose that's fair enough. Kanae was clear about trust issues being a common thing here. Well in that case...'

She raised her head and looked at the three men. "Like I said, I'm stronger than I look. And I'm not scared of the battlefield. I might lack experience unlike the rest of you, but I'm a fast learner. And besides..." The look she threw them sent shivers down the three men's spines. "I'll do anything it takes to take down Tamaki Kagetora! Even if you're unsatisfied with me and toss me aside, I will never stop fighting! Because even in a crumbling world, nothing is lost as long as justice prevails!"

Matsuoka's eyes lit up with hope and pride. "Should I take that as a request to join us?" He asked.

This time Hotaru bowed. "Please, allow me to fight with you."

"Just so you know, I'm still the boss around here. That means that you agree to follow my lead. And we do have a couple of other rules."

Straightening up, she answered. "I'll do anything."

"Give me a break! Those are just words." Interrupted Haruki. The man approached Hotaru until he was less than a foot apart. "You spout out nonsense about justice and all that bullshit, but have you even considered the real situation?"

"What do you mean?"

"I think it's pretty clear." The angry man snatched the knife from Matsuoka's hand and presented it to the girl. "Can you stab someone in the heart? Or shoot them in the head?"

Now, those questions, she was prepared for. She knew that by coming here, it would be a real war and during wars, people die. If she wanted to survive and if she wanted her comrades to survive, she'd have to kill. She knew that. Even if the idea didn't please her, it was an inevitable truth. She grabbed the knife from his hand. And when she spoke, her voice was low but certain.

"I'll do what needs to be done. No matter the consequences."

As she took the knife from his hand, Haruki felt her hand. 'He's not shaking...' Noticed the young man.

There wasn't a single sign of nervousness, be it in her eyes or in her body. She was ready to fight, and she was hoping to get that determination through.

"Tch." He let out, throwing her a scornful glare before returning to his initial spot, and started cleaning the pieces of his gun again as if nothing had happened.

"Matsun, I'll go get the food." Said Yukimura.

"Oh by the way, it's gonna rain." Said Haruki. "The traders told me."

"Alright, I'll take care of the buckets." Replied Matsuoka. "Hotaru, come with me."

Without wasting time, he started walking away. The tomboy quickly sheathed her knife back in it's holster and followed Toy Gun's leader. They walked back downstairs to the jeep to take seven enormous metal buckets out of the back. Matsuoka then led her up the stairs again and to the roof of the building where they placed the buckets on the ground.

"Hum, Matsuoka? What's all this for?" She asked.

"You just arrived in Tensora right? And it rains very rarely. But when it does, it can last a total of twelve hours and the rains are pretty strong. It's the best moment to collect water and shower. Everyone here does it. Sometimes an entire month can go by without a drop of rain."

"I didn't realize things were so difficult here..."

Matsuoka stared at the girl. Her face was showing a disappointed maybe even sad expression. He'd seen it many times on the faces of people that arrived here for the first time. They escaped the Tiger's army but they still had a long way to go to stabilize their lives here. Tensora was a difficult place to live in. Resilience was a must.

"You know Hotaru, I don't force anyone to talk about their past if they don't want to. We all have secrets we want to keep and things we want to forget. But I need to ask you this : where were you before you came here?"

Her expression saddened even more and she looked at the ground. "I... came from the Capital. I was in jail for the past four years."

'In jail?" Wondered the blond man. 'But he's just a kid...' "How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"You were thrown in jail at thirteen?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

She simply nodded, hoping Toy Gun's leader would understand that she didn't want to pursue the subject. To her surprise he didn't. He seemed to be a very observant man.

"Don't worry kid. We'll teach you how things work around here. In the meantime, don't hold it against Yukki and Haruki. They need time to get used to you, but I assure you, you won't find better comrades in the entire country."

"What about you?" Asked the tomboy. "Do you trust me?"

"Can't say I do." He replied, straightforwardly. "Not gonna lie, I picked you because of your potential. But If you turn out to be a nuisance, I'll let you go."

That answer came as a bit of a shock to her. Both looked at each other straight in the eyes, blue irises against green ones. Matsuoka was honest and straightforward, qualities that Hotaru admired in other people as they were her own as well. But this time, it was a bit hurtful. The dictator really had destroyed a lot of things in his path : trust, bonds, even simple decorum amongst people was an issue now. The wind suddenly blew and played with their hair, yet barely lowered the suffocating temperature. Hotaru looked at the bucket she was placing on the ground.

"I understand. This is a war. You don't have time to waste on some useless person." She lifted her head. "That's why, I won't be useless Matsuoka."

She stood up and turned towards him completely, placing a hand on her heart. "My strength is all I have left. So you can have all of it."

"Thanks kid." Replied the leader of Toy Gun. "I look forward to working with you."

Hours went by. Matsuoka showed Hotaru the material they carried around with them, and explained that they had a bunch of different hideouts in every city of Tensora. Then Yukimura came back with the food and they had dinner together, where Matsuoka and Yukimura were doing most of the talking and Hotaru didn't utter a word. Then night fell and the four of them decided to call it a day. The temperature dropped incredibly low. Yukimura gave a sleeping bag to the tomboy and, together the four of them laid on the ground. But long after the men had started snoring, Hotaru remained awakened, her back turned to the three men that were sleeping close together. She quickly understood why : even with those thick sleeping bags, she was still shivering under the covers. But she didn't dare to go snuggle up to them. She was still a girl for heaven's sake! But the cold wasn't the only thing keeping her awake.

'Well, I found the resistance. But it looks like nobody trusts me. I should have known it wouldn't be that easy. I'll have to show them that I deserve that trust.'

A sudden image of Toy Gun's leader pushing her down came to mind, and the blood rushed to her face. Man, was she thankful that it was dark and that no one was there to see her blush. She shook her head.

'Oh get over it Tachibana!' She ordered herself. 'He was testing your strength, not doing anything evil. Although he could've been a little less hands on. But then again he doesn't know that I'm a girl... This is so confusing. I better get some sleep if I want to get things done tomorrow.'

With that thought, Hotaru closed her eyes and brought her hand to her neck only to feel nothing there. Her eyes shot open, and she sat up.

'Mom's necklace! It was in my bag …'

She remembered dropping it to fight off Python's goons and then Matsuoka dragging her away. Without a second of hesitation, she got out of her sleeping bag, put on her boots and headed for the stairs.

* * *

 **Hope you liked it! PLEASE REVIEW!**


	4. Practicalities

**Hi guys! How would you like to see how Hotaru and Haruki get along?**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Hotaru ran down the stairs of the building. How could she have forgotten her bag like that? Well she did have a good excuse, they were being shot at by crazy thugs. But still, the thought of loosing her mother's memento made the girl bite grit her teeth. It was the only thing she had left of her parents after that bastard of dictator had killed them. She finally reached the floor where the jeep was parked. But she stopped when she reached the vehicle, she stopped.

'Wait, I don't have the keys. Not that it would help, I can't even drive!' Thought the girl, hitting herself in the face. 'I'll have to go on foot. It'll take way longer though...'

"What are you doing?" Suddenly said a voice behind her.

Hotaru jumped and whipped around ending up facing Toy Gun's leader. Matsuoka was looking at her with suspicious eyes, arms crossed over his chest.

"I uh..."

"Be careful kid. Don't even think of lying to me. Where were you going?" Asked the man, demanding an answer.

His imposing glare made Hotaru look down in shame. "I … I was going to go get my bag... I left it in Python's lair."

"Are you an idiot? What was in the bag that you'd risk your life to go there?"

She looked at him curiously. "Risk my life?"

"Walking in Tensora alone in the middle of the night is suicide. There are all kinds of thugs in the streets. Everything from petty thieves to gang members." He explained. "Are you really that dull? Now answer the question. What was so important?"

"I had money in there. And … "

"And?"

"And there was something very important to me inside." He voice got quieter when she said that.

The blond man stayed quiet and observed the girl in front of him for a while. What was going on through his mind though, Hotaru couldn't guess. Then without saying a word, he walked past her and went to the jeep. He opened the trunk and pulled out something that she instantly recognized as her own and tossed it at her. She caught it and stared at it in disbelief.

"How?" She let out. She was certain the blond man didn't grab it when they were running away.

"Yukki went back to get it this afternoon." Responded Matsuoka.

Hotaru quickly opened her bag and plunged her hand in her bag to reach the small pocket stitched in the side. When she took it out, she had in her palm a necklace with a very thin and fragile looking golden chain with a moon croissant shape piece of gold dangling from it. It was a very simple little thing, but was certainly worth something if it was real. Matsuoka's eyes traveled from the tiny piece of jewel to Hotaru's astonished face. The blond man was good at observing people and reading them. Well, except maybe _that guy_. But Hotaru was an open book to him. The kid's honesty showed on his face so much, even a child wouldn't be fooled. But it was rare to find this kind of personality in Tensora. Because it was bound to be disappointed in a rotten place like this. In the end, it was for the best that Hotaru joined them. They were the closest thing there was here to a justice system.

The girl closed her hand on the necklace and brought it closer to her chest, relief showing off on her face. "Thank you so much, Matsuoka. Really. This means a lot."

"Don't thank me. I didn't ask him to do it."

'Oh right. I guess Yukkimura isn't as cold as he seems.' Thought the blondie. 'I'll be sure to thank him.'

"That's a nice necklace. But it's kind of feminine don't you think?"

"It was my mom's." Explained the blondie. "She was wearing it when she died."

Matsuoka knew better than to pry. Those were the secrets they were allowed to keep, because talking about those things made the scars bleed again. He was well placed to know that. Without adding anymore, he walked towards the stairs and Hotaru followed.

"The best way not to loose it is to wear it. But make sure it's hidden under your shirt if you don't want to attract thieves."

"Right." She replied, immediately putting the necklace on.

Matsuoka found himself thinking about what Haruki had said earlier. Hotaru did seem to have some feminine features and gestures, despite the rough exterior. That necklace looked good on him. He could probably easily pass off as a girl, if need be. That might be useful in the future. They'd have to be careful though : Hotaru's impulsive behavior if out of control could get them in trouble as much as it could get them out.

"By the way Hotaru, aren't you cold?" Asked Toy Gun's leader.

"Uhm, no...I mean... I haven't really noticed..." Stuttered the girl, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

This made Matsuoka chuckle and he grinned at her. "Save it. You're not fooling me. You're embarrassed sleeping so close to people you barely know."

"Well, yeah... kind of..." She replied, still red but relieved that he hadn't busted her.

"It took forever to Haruki to stop kicking Yukki in his sleep." He shared. "But honestly though, I don't want anyone catching an angina. The hygiene is sometimes so bad here, colds can lead to a bunch of other nuisances that aren't so easy to get rid of. You'll get used to it, trust me. But our sleeping bags aren't warm enough."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense."

Still, the tomboy was not comfortable with the idea of sleeping this close with men. But on another hand, she couldn't let them on to the fact that she was a girl. And with her flat chest and her thick sleeping bag, it's not like they'll notice. Once back in the room with the others, both stayed quiet to avoid waking Haruki and Yukimura. Matsuoka took off his shoes and jacket and got back in his sleeping bag, but he sat up and waited for Hotaru to get hers and come closer. The girl thanked god that it was dark enough to hide her face that was most probably redder than a tomato. She took off her boots and got in her sleeping bag next to Matsuoka. The blond man smiled in satisfaction and laid back down and closed his eyes. Hotaru waited for him to start snoring to snuggle closer. It was really cold. The girl buried herself in her sleeping bag. Her back against Toy Gun's leader was staring to heat up and the cold slowly faded. It still took her a while to fall asleep.

'There are some things I'll never get used to.' She thought.

She clenched her the pendant around her neck and fell asleep, remembering her mother's face.

* * *

"Hey wake up, newbie."

When something kicked her in the stomach, Hotaru's eyes flashed opened and before her assailant knew it she was on her feet, hand on the knife Kanae had given her. But she relaxed when she saw Haruki standing in front of her, arms crossed and giving her the same scornful look than yesterday. She sighed in relief before straightening up. The irritation got real, when she realized it was still dark.

"What's your deal?" She said. "That's no way to wake up someone! What are you..."

A gloved hand covered her mouth brutally, cutting her off. "Quit yapping, you idiot." He whispered. "You're gonna wake up these two."

Hotaru turned around and saw that Matsuoka and Yukimura were still soundly asleep. When she relaxed, Haruki took away his hand away and turned around. "Follow me." He ordered.

Hotaru, confused as she was, threw one last look at the sleeping men before following Haruki out of the room. Without uttering a word, he led her up the stairs to the floor above. The room they stepped in had a bunch of metal trunks in a corner, and practice targets on the walls.

'This must be where they train...' Thought the tomboy.

Haruki went over to one of the trunks and opened it. Hotaru's mouth opened slightly in surprise when she saw him take out a gun from it. But he only placed it on the ground and took out another one. And then another one. All in different shapes and sizes. What was he doing? Hotaru, as polite as she was, didn't interrupt his movement. Besides, he'd probably get pissed at her if she did. Goosebumps appeared all over her and she shivered, wrapping her arms around herself.

"It's freezing." She muttered. 'I didn't even have time to put my shoes on.'

"Don't be a wimp." Scolded Haruki not even turning around. "The second the sun rises, it'll warm up."

"Why did you bring me here exactly?"

"If you can't tell by what I'm doing, then I can't help you." The man suddenly turned around. "Come here." He said, gesturing.

Hotaru approached making sure not to step on the guns, as the short-haired man closed the cover of the trunk and leaned his elbow on it. Hotaru looked at him curiously, too long perhaps, because he gave her an impatient glare. "What are you waiting for?"

"You want me to arm wrestle with you?" She asked.

"No, I'm just standing there like an idiot waiting for a rain drop." He growled.

'Geez, this guy really doesn't like me.' Thought the disappointed girl. "But why?"

"Do you always ask so many questions?"

This time the blondie frowned and retorted. "Yes, when no one bothers explaining anything to me!"

The man stayed silent for a little while, observing the energetic kid in front of him. Masamune said he was seventeen, but he was so scrawny, Haruki wouldn't have given him anymore than fifteen. But at least he had a good bark. The man just hoped that his bite was just as sharp. He sighed before answering.

"I'm the one who takes care of the guns here." He explained. "I'm trying to assess your strength., so I know if you're strong enough to handle a heavy gun."

"Oh, I get it now."

The girl knelt down and grabbed his arm without complaint. Haruki gave the signal and both started pushing. The man found himself surprised : this scrawny kid was strong maybe just as strong as him. They battled it out for a few minutes, before Haruki got the advantage and then released her.

"For a shrimp, you're pretty strong."

"Told you!" Said the girl proudly.

"It wasn't a compliment." He retorted standing up. "I was just stating a fact. Answer the questions. Right handed or left handed?"

"Ambidextrous."

"Ever shot a gun before?"

"No."

"Any malformations or repercussions from previous injuries?"

"None."

"Eyesight?"

"20/20."

"Recurring headaches?"

"No."

"Combat experience?"

"Yes!" She almost shouted. It was her strong point after all.

After that last answer, Haruki went to grab a gun in the middle of others without hesitation. It was bigger than Matsuoka's guns, with a longer canon and two handles. The rebel handed it to her, and the moment Hotaru held the weapon, a heavy aura surrounded her. This weapon... it felt right in her hands. She passed it from one hand to the other. The weight and size were perfect and easily mandible in her agile hands. It was perfect to follow her mobility. The weight and But at the same time, she was well aware that it was a death bringer. She could kill someone with this thing. And she probably will. Never the less, Hotaru didn't forget. She had an oath to keep. To save this country from the dictator. She clenched her hands on this gun : it was going to be a trusted partner throughout this ordeal.

"Heckler and Koch G3. How does it feel?" Asked Haruki

"Fine." She replied, unable to detach her eyes from the weapon. "Better than fine actually. It feels perfect."

"Try it." He said, showing the targets with his chin.

Hotaru turned to the face the wall and extended her arm. She had no trouble keeping the gun stable even though it wasn't light, remarked Haruki watching her posture. She wasn't shaking. If she was holding a gun with such ease, it truly showed a natural potential for adaptation. However, after she fired a couple of shots, it was clear that she'd need time to adapt to her gun's firing and most of all, learn to aim. There were three targets in front of her, and by aiming at the one in the middle, she'd managed to not hit a single one of them.

"Wow." Commented the man raising his eyebrows. "You really suck."

"You don't have to be rude." Pouted the younger of the two. "I'll just have to practice..."

"Except we don't have the time or the resources for that." He immediately shot down. "We can't waste our bullets on meaningless practice, we can't afford to. You'll have to learn in the field."

As he explained that, the gun handler put the other weapons back in the metal trunk, very carefully. When he was done he gave an ammo pack to the girl so she could put it around her waste. He continued to explain that they shouldn't waste the ammo on useless things. If the bullets were used, they were meant to kill. Warning shots didn't exist in Tensora. Hotaru's thoughts went straight to Matsuoka. He was an excellent shot so when he fired at Python the first time, it was a warning shot. Did Toy Gun's leader not apply his own principles? Or was it just Haruki and Yukimura who thought like that? She realized that it wasn't cold anymore. The sun had started to rise. She waited for the rebel to tell her more, but he seemed to have forgotten she was here as he was focused on the order of the weaponry.

"You're still here?" He suddenly said, without turning around. "I don't need you anymore, you can go."

"Hum, what's your name?" She asked. "I only know what Matsuoka and Yukimura call you, so..."

"Haruki Hosokawa." He cut her off. "Call me Haruki. Makes no difference to me."

"Okay, Haruki it is." She replied cheerfully.

He only growled in response and continued his business. Hotaru was thinking of what to do next when the light suddenly got dimmer. Both her and Haruki looked out the window to see threatening black clouds hovering all over the sky.

"The storm is here." Commented Haruki.

"Storm? But it was so nice just a minute ago."

"Masamune should have told you : the weather is strange around here. There are long periods of time without a drop of rain and then we get huge storms like those. This one will probably last about eight hours or so."

The instant the girl was about to comment, the noisy sound of crashing rain was heard and she looked out the window again. Matsuoka wasn't lying when he said it was like a shower. The rain was so heavy that everything outside got soaked in an instant, and it was so thick they could barely see through it. She could barely discern the shape of the other buildings outside. Surprisingly enough though, the temperature kept rising.

"So we're stuck here until it calms down?"

"You can go shower."

"Shower? Where?"

"On the roof, dummy. We don't exactly have the luxury of a bathroom here."

The rain seemed to be strong enough to wash quickly, but still Hotaru didn't forget the fact that she was a girl. Matsuoka and Yukimura were still asleep, so right now might be the perfect time for her to have some privacy. And Haruki didn't seem to want to move from his spot just yet.

"Hum, what about you?"

"Why, d'you need me to hold your hand?" Replied the irritated weapon master. "I have to finish this, I'll wash later. Now get out of here, you're in the way."

Hotaru didn't add anything else in fear of pissing him off even more and quickly exited the room. She went back to where the two others were sleeping and quietly took her soap, towel and small shampoo bottle that she'd brought with her. Leaving her shoes and sleeveless jacket behind she walked up to the roof. The buckets she'd placed there with Matsuoka were already full. There was a dry area in front of the door. Hotaru stayed still for a while, admiring the powerful rain that was changing the landscape itself, and covering all noise. She could barely see the shape of the neighboring buildings. So even if someone decided to do like her, they probably wouldn't see her. Still, being completely rid of clothes outside was embarrassing. After taking a deep breath, the girl quickly undressed and stepped out into the rain. The hot air made it so that the water was at a not hot but agreeable temperature. While washing, she realized how much dirt she'd acquired in just two days here. And after thoroughly scrapping her skin and rubbing her hair, she felt cleaner than ever before.

'I wonder how long it'll be until I can shower again...' She thought.

Returning to the dry area, she grabbed her towel and started drying herself, when the door suddenly opened, making her almost jump out of her skin. She instinctively covered herself with her towel, as Yukimura walked onto the roof, bare chest and towel over his shoulder. He turned to her with a surprised look.

"Tachibana?"

"Uh, h-hi Yukimura..." She stuttered as an embarrassed smile appeared on her face. 'This is bad!'

The man stared at her for a while before getting closer. He leaned closer to her face, his slanted eyes focused on her. The girl was frozen. What would he say? What will happen if they figure out I'm a girl? Her thoughts were interrupted when the black haired man closed his eyes and sniffed.

"You smell pretty good." He said. "Did you bring shampoo from the Capital?"

"How did you know..."

"Mattsun told me."

Hotaru took a step back. "You're kind of close..."

"Sorry." He said, backing up a little. "I can't see very well without my glasses. Anyways, mind if I borrow it?"

"My shampoo? S-sure! I don't mind." She said quickly giving him the bottle while doing her best to stay hidden behind her towel.

"Thanks." Simply replied the sniper. "You should go see Mattsun. I think he wants to talk to you."

"R-right! I should... Wait a minute! What do you think you're doing?!" She exclaimed, as the sniper started unbuckling his belt. He gave her a surprised look.

"What are you getting upset about?" He asked. "We're both guys. Are you that shy?"

'Oh, right. Stupid! I'm suppose to be a guy too.'

"Well, I really should get going! Matsuoka's probably waiting for me. Gotta go! Bye!" She said before grabbing her clothes and disappearing inside.

"What a weird kid." Muttered the sniper to himself.

The door opened again and Hotaru's head popped out one more time. "Oh that's right, Yukimura?"

"What now?"

"I just wanted to say thank you. For getting my bag for me. It means a lot."

"Sure, whatever."

She quickly disappeared inside again and took a couple of quick breaths.

'What the hell Tachibana!' She scolded herself. 'I have to be more careful. This was way too close! I'm such an idiot!'

She quickly wrapped her band around her chest again and put her clothes back on. But as she walked back down the stairs, she smiled to herself. Yukimura seemed apathetic, but she was sure now that he was a nice guy. All three of them were good people, even though Matsuoka was the only one who seemed to wear his heart on his sleeves. Haruki might be the hardest one to get to though. But if there was one thing Hotaru Tachibana was famous for, it was the fact that she was stubborn and never gave up.

* * *

 **Hope you liked it! Next chapter, first mission!**

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	5. Not as bad as it seems, huh?

**Hi guys! Sorry it's been a while, but I've had a lot of work recently and unfortunately it cuts into my writing time. But here goes! Hope you'll like it!**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

Hotaru dodged as the handsome blond's foot was about to collide with her face. She quickly recovered and sent her fist towards his stomach only to be blocked. She didn't waste any time and threw her foot towards his face. With a simple step to the side, Matsuoka avoided it. It was still raining cats and dogs out there. None of the four had left the building in three hours. After giving her a couple more instructions about how they managed supplies, Matsuoka had asked her to show a bit more of her combat skills.

"Alright, that was good." Said Toy Gun's leader. "I'm impressed. I've rarely met someone your age that could take me on so easily. I think if we fought for real you might even have a chance at winning."

Hotaru wiped the sweat off her forehead. "It's not that surprising. I have spent my entire life training after all."

"Were you born in a military family?" Asked the blond as he tossed her a gourd.

"Uhh, no." The girl thought carefully about her next words before speaking. "Actually, it's my mom that taught me how to fight. She always said that everyone in the Tachibana family had to be strong, even girls. Because we had to be the strength and justice of the weak."

The blond smiled, reflecting the expression on the younger fellow. "She sounds like an odd personality."

"She could be a little overbearing." Hotaru was still smiling but a deep sadness appeared in her eyes. "My father was fragile and he always got ill. So mom made it her job to be strong for both of them."

"They sound like amazing people."

"They were. They were the best in the world."

She'd said, like a young child would talk about their parents. But it was so sincere that no one would dare laugh at this kid. She was just a kid after all. An orphan. In times of war, life can turn into a real nightmare for some. But no matter how long it lasts, no one can get used to death. Not matter what anyone says, being witness to death is destructive in more ways than one. The more Matsuoka observed and discussed with the energetic teen, the more he thought how impressive she was.

"By the way Matsuoka." Said Hotaru after drinking from the gourd. "Where did you learn how to fight?"

The blond man lowered his eyes for a moment as if he was thinking. "Before the rise of Kagetora four years ago, I was in the army."

To his surprise, the teen's eyes widened in surprise. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just … well, you're kind of good looking so I thought..." She averted her eyes and scratched her cheek nervously. "You might have been a model or something..."

The resistance leader's eyes widened and he stared at the girl for a moment before bursting out in laughter. "What kind of prejudice is that!" He said, still shaking with amusement. "How can you say something so embarrassing with such a straight face? HAHAHAHAHA!"

Hotaru's cheeks suddenly turned bright red. She hadn't thought of it, but I must be really weird for a guy to say that to another guy. "You... you don't have to laugh so much!"

"So what you're saying, is that military men can't be good looking?"

"That's not what I meant!"

"I see." He said then grabbing his chin and smirking. "You think I'm particularly handsome. Though I'm not sure how I feel receiving that compliment from you. Now if you were a girl..."

"You're way too full of yourself!" She retorted. "And who are you calling a g-girl?"

"Haha. I'm messing with you, chill."

Not far near them, the sniper was going over a map and a notebook scribbled with notes. Tooru had been trying to plan out there next mission but he was too distracted by the two loudmouths in the room. He looked up and eyed Matsuoka and the newbie arguing.

'Mattsun must really like him. It'll be a drag if he turns out to be a failure.' Thought the sharp shooter.

"Mattsun. I'm going downstairs to get the supplies for lunch. But we don't have that much left. When the rain stops we're gonna have to go get some more."

"Alright, thanks Yukki."

The man with glasses nodded and threw a neutral look at the newbie before he exited the room. Hotaru found herself thinking that this man was mysterious.

"Hey Matsuoka. I know this might be a little out of context but how did you find Yukimura and Haruki?"

"Sorry Kiddo. That's personal information. I don't mind talking about me but these two have their own story. You'll have to ask them."

"I understand. I'm sorry for asking." A sad smile appeared on her face and she looked at the ground. "It's just been so long since I've had people to talk to normally, so I feel like small talk. But no worries, I'll keep to myself from now on."

'Damn, the kid's got me feeling bad now.' Thought the blond man. 'I've rarely seen someone with that kind of honesty and pure-heartedness, even four years back. Be careful Hotaru. This good heart will get you in trouble here.'

* * *

After the four companions ate, they spent the rest of the day inside waiting for the rain to stop. Hotaru sat in a corner with her bag after helping Yukimura put away the stuff they used for cooking. She'd asked Matsuoka if she could help with anything but the leader had told her that everything was fine for the moment. Then he and Yukimura went in a corner still looking over that map. Haruki was entering and exiting the room repeatedly, but the girl didn't dare ask him what he was doing seeing how this guy already seemed to hate her. Hotaru didn't like this feeling of uselessness. She got that they didn't trust her yet but still...

'Come on Tachibana.' She told herself, shaking her head. 'Sulking won't make things go any faster. I won't be able to prove anything until the rain stops, so I might as well use this time.'

She took a book out of her bag and opened it. The book was in english. Foreign languages were not forte, but that was the only book she was able to take from her home after escaping her prison. And it was one of her mother's favorite. No matter how old she got, she'd always loved fairytales. She deciphered what she could from it. From what she understood, it was the story of a girl. A girl that was a monster, although she wasn't sure what kind of monster. But that girl was being kept locked up in a cave because of what she was. Hotaru muttered the words out loud hoping to understand the sentences.

" _Everyone...hated her... so in return, she decided …. that she would hate them too..."_ She read slowly, not noticing the footsteps that had gotten closer to her.

"What are you reading, Tachibana?"

Hotaru looked up to see Yukimura standing in front of her. "Oh hi Yukimura. It's just something I brought with me."

The black haired man crouched down in front of her and presented a hand. "Do you mind if I take a look at it?"

"Uh, yeah sure." She said handing him the book. "Do you understand english Yukimura?"

He nodded and focused on the book. "Gentle Soul." He said, translating the title. "It's a really good book. It was one of my favorite when I was a kid. It's full of truths, that's why I like it. A real masterpiece."

Hotaru was surprised at the sniper's sudden willingness to speak with her. Was it because the topic was books? That made the teen even more curious but she remembered Matsuoka's warning. "I didn't think anyone would know this book since Mom brought it back with her from America."

"Do you like reading?" He asked.

"I used to. But this is the first book I've opened in four years. I'd love to understand all of it but my english is terrible..."

"I'm impressed you're even giving this a try." He said.

"Well, I want to understand that book." She confessed smiling. "And now that you told me it's a masterpiece, I really want to read all of it."

The sniper threw a surprised look at the newbie. Who would have thought the adrenaline junkie was interested in literature and reading? People here couldn't care less about books or even basic education. They primary worry was survival after all.

"Oh and Yukimura?" She called out pulling him out of his thoughts. "Thank you again for my bag. I really owe you."

"You don't have to be so grateful." He said. "I went there to recover guns and bullets. I just happened to find your bag too. No big deal."

"It is to me. So thanks."

"You're gonna have to stop that." He said.

"Stop what?"

"Stop being so opened up to people you barely know. You're gonna get yourself killed."

Hotaru looked at him surprised. Where had she heard those words before?

"Anyways." Continued Yukimura. "If you have questions about the content just ask. I'll help clarify some things."

He handed the book back to her and walked away. The girl found herself thinking that Yukimura was a very strange man. Rude and scornful at first glance but somehow kind and caring. Indeed, it was a mysterious mix. One thing that she had noticed, was the way he and Matsuoka talked to each other. Like very old friends, who'd known each other a long time. In any case, she wasn't going to get any answers as long as the three of them didn't trust her. She glanced outside for a moment, to look at the rain falling. The traders hadn't lied. It was a real shower and the temperature had dropped so low that goosebumps appeared all over her skin. A disrupted weather in a disrupted system... how ironic. Could human stupidity have an effect on the universe around it? In that moment, it certainly seemed like it. Five hours had gone by since the beginning of the storm. According to Haruki, they had three more to go. Hotaru turned back to her book and proceeded to deciphering the story.

* * *

A couple of hours later, the storm started calming down. Haruki hadn't budged from the armory the entire time, except to go eat and to bring down the stuff their leader had asked for. When the stoic man saw that the rain was now gently falling, he went to the reserve and grabbed a bag. He quickly looked at it's content to make sure he had what they needed. It was his turn again. As usual when going out for the errands, it was better to conceal their weapons. The traders were ordinary people who'd ran away from the cities because of the dictator's influence. They were easily scared and seeing them with guns could frighten them. But of course, going out without one was practically suicide. He picked a small handgun from the armory and hid it under his military jacket. After making sure he had everything, he picked up his bag and headed for the room where the rest of them were.

"Masamune." He called out when he saw the leader talking with Tooru in a corner. "Do you have the list?"

Toy Gun's boss walked over to him and handed him a folded piece of paper. "That's everything we need."

Haruki unfolded the sheet and took a look at the short list. His face twisted in annoyance when he saw the number of ammo boxes they needed. "Are you serious?"

"You know I don't make mistakes when calculating."

"No, you only make mistakes when you give scumbags like Python a warning shot." Growled the angry young man.

"Can't do anything about it now. I took the cigarettes out of the list."

"You think that makes up for it? How much ammo do you think you've wasted in a year?"

The glare the blond threw him silenced him. "I told you to lay off."

"Tch." Let out Haruki before turning his back and heading towards the door.

"Haruki." Called back the blond man.

"What?"

"Take Hotaru with you."

The request took him aback and made him sighed loudly. Why the hell did he have to take care of a brat that wasn't going to last two weeks. Sure he had skills, but he also had the kind of personality that didn't last long here. Tensora didn't spare anyone, be it child or woman. And he could honestly say that the kid was a softie.

"You are not serious right now. I don't have time to babysit."

"I'm not asking you to babysit. I need you to show him around the place and present him to the traders. And tell him about the radio too."

Masamune seemed very convinced. Darn it. The brown haired man threw a look at the blond kid who was sitting against the wall in a corner, reading a book.

"Hey newbie!" Hotaru raised her face and immediately stood up. "You're coming with me. Move your ass, we don't have all day."

Instead of waiting for the shortie to move, he walked out of the room and of the building. Running footsteps signaled him that the new recruit was behind him.

"Haruki! Wait for me!"

He didn't slow down though, knowing the blond would keep running until they were side by side. The rain was gentle now. It was hard to believe that a few minutes ago, it was like receiving the ocean from the heavens. Anywhere else in the country it would seem impossible. But having lived in this cursed place for over three years now, hardly anything could surprise Haruki. Or at least he thought so.

"Are you sure the traders will be out right after the storm?" Asked the curious shortie.

"Of course. That's when they can trade the water they retrieved from the rain. Everyone is going to come out for the fetch."

"I see. What do we have to buy?"

"Don't use the word buy here. It implies that you have money."

"Got it. So, what do we need?"

"Practical stuff."

"Which means what?"

"Can you stop asking questions?" Suddenly snapped the older man, throwing Hotaru an angry glare.

"I'm sorry." She replied raising her hands. "I wasn't trying to annoy you. I'll be quiet now."

Although she said that, hse didn't seem bothered at all by the gunman's sudden outburst. They quietly walked side by side through a couple of streets. The rain completely stopped and only a few minutes after it ceased, the temperature started rising again. They kept walking until Haruki led them into a big street that was really crowded. It was always like this after the rain. People would come to buy water supplied for a month or so. Hotaru's eyes widened in surprise. The traders were selling all sorts of things. Some were selling meat, other's fruits and vegetables. The products themselves didn't seem exactly edible at first glance, but it was all they had to survive. Further away, others were selling things like batteries, torchlights, wires …

"This place is amazing." Said the youngest of the two.

Amazing? What was so amazing about people struggling to live? What that kid stupid? This was the most miserable sight Haruki had ever seen in his life. Just how dull could people from the Capital be. He brushed it off though. The brat was just happy to be out in the open after being locked in. He'd discover the truth soon enough. The young man walked over to a trader's table with apples on it.

"Hey Haruki!" Said the trader. "What do you need?"

"AH!" Exclaimed Hotaru, pointing at the trader. "You're the man from yesterday!"

The round man looked at her curiously for a moment. "Ah yes, I recognize you. You were the lad that was with Kanae yesterday."

"How is your daughter?" Asked the blond.

"Much better, thank you for asking. I didn't know you were one of these guys."

"He's not one of us." Interrupted Haruki.

Hotaru looked at the ground and again scratched her cheek nervously. "It's true. I'm still on tryout period."

"Well, I hope things turn out good for you." Said the man smiling. "Anyways, what can I get you Haruki."

"Nine of those. No wait twelve. Would you trade them for a rope?"

"None of that, son." Said the man. "Take what you need."

"Sorry, I can't accept."

"Accept what? The situation would be much worse without you boys around. I insist. Let me do this much for you."

Without waiting for the young man's protest, Mr Yoshida placed twelve apples in a piece of cloth and handed it to Haruki. He insisted again, and the rebel reluctantly accepted the gift and placed it in his bag. Hotaru saluted the trader once more and ran after her annoyed companion.

"The people around here seem to like you a lot." Commented the shorter of the two.

"Don't say stupid things." He said averting his eyes from hers.

"You don't have to be embarrassed, you know." Said the girl smiling at him.

"Who's embarrassed, moron!" Shouted the gunman.

Hotaru laughed. It was the first time since she'd met the stoic man that she'd seen him flustered. And it was hilarious. But out of empathy for him, she suppressed her laughter. Haruki couldn't believe this kid.

'How is he acting so unconcerned about what's happening? He really pisses me off.'

"Yo Haruki." Called out a voice.

The rebel immediately stopped walking and looked at the dark alley on their side. A man with dark blue hair and wearing a black hoodie. He was smoking. The rebel frowned at the sight of him though. Did he always have to show up at the most random of places?

"You out for some errands again? Are you guys finally on the verge of starving?" Said the man with a cocky smile. "Or did Hoshishiro finally get the drop on you?"

"Hilarious, Taka." Replied the member of the resistance, unamused. "I don't want to have to see your ugly face anymore than I have to."

"You know how this works." Said the man called Taka, extending a hand.

Haruki reached for the inside of his pocket and gave the man what looked like an envelop. After checking the content, Taka reached into his own pocket and handed a piece of paper to Haruki.

"You got your work cut out for you." He commented, smirking again before his eyes finally fell on the person behind Haruki. "Now what do we have here? A newbie?"

"Thanks for the info." Quickly said Haruki, before grabbing the girl roughly by the arm and pulling her away from the dark alley. "Let's go."

"Ow! That hurts." Protested Hotaru, pulling herself out of his grip. "Geez. Why are you in such a hurry? And who was that guy?"

"That was Taka. He's our informant."

"Informant?"

"He helps us keep track of the general situation in Tensora."

"So he's an ally? You don't seem to like him very much."

"He only works for money. I can't stand him." He explained angrily before picking up the pace. "Move it."

They stopped by a few more traders, to get food cans and medical bands before heading to one last 'shop'. That stand seemed to be offering things like torchlights and batteries. Haruki took out the list and Hotaru read over his shoulder. It said eight box of ammo. But when the trader came out and asked what we wanted...

"The usual." Said Haruki.

"Six ammo and two packs of cigarettes coming up." Said the trader, before handing the merchandise to them.

Haruki quickly packed them and exited quickly. He started heading in the direction they'd just come from.

"Haruki wait." Said Hotaru, catching up. "Didn't it say eight box on the list?"

"Masamune can't think straight if he doesn't have a smoke from time to time. I'd rather have half the bullets, than a half-assed plans."

Again Hotaru smiled. Really these guys weren't as bad as they seemed. Even if earning their trust would take a while, she was sure it would be worth it.

"What are you smiling like an idiot for?"

"No reason." She said.

"Well cut it out. It's creepy … "

A scream interrupted their bickering. The street was suddenly very agitated, and seemed to be getting away from something.

'Is it a gang?' Thought Hotaru, before running toward the source of the commotion. Haruki called her back unsuccessfully before running after her. The girl stopped when she saw that the source of the commotion was a man. People were desperately trying to stay as far away from him as possible. His face and arms were covered of dark spots. He was in front of a trader's stand extending his hand to touch the holder. Only listening to her reflexes, the girl picked up a stone and tossed it as hard as she could at the man. It hit him in the head and he backed away a couple of steps before facing his attacker.

"Hey you!" She called out. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I changed my mind." He said, smiling at her. "You'll do just fine, you little brat!"

As he said that he charged towards the girl, who immediately got on guard. Surprisingly, instead of trying to attack her with a fist, he extended his hand as if to touch her. Something was wrong. Her instincts screamed at her to not let him touch her, so instead of blocking she dodged his attack with cat like agility.

"Don't move!" Shouted a familiar voice.

Hotaru turned to see Haruki pointing a gun at the troublemaker. The rebel's face had found his stoic expression from before. But his eyes were throwing daggers at the man with the dark spots on the skin.

"Move newbie." He ordered, before addressing the man again. "You, leave. Now. There won't be a warning shot." He threatened.

Instead of obeying the man started shaking in rage. "It's not fair! Why me?! What did I do to deserve this!"

"No one deserves this." Said Haruki. "But that doesn't allow you to make others suffer."

"And why the hell not!" Shouted back the man. "I'm the only one who's gonna go quietly?! I DON'T THINK SO!"

The man moved to throw himself on the rebel. There was a single gun shot... and then a lifeless corpse fell to the ground. Hotaru stared at her companion paralyzed with shock. Haruki didn't move for a while. He simply stared at the corpse with that stoic expression of his. He then put his gun away and picked up his bag.

"Get up newbie. We're leaving."

"You killed him..."

"He didn't give me a choice."

"What do you mean he didn't give you a choice?!" She shouted at him. "He was unarmed! How could you?!"

And to think that a few minutes ago she thought this guy was actually a nice person. Was that a habit for him? To kill anyone who attacked him even if they were defenseless?

"Don't act all high and mighty newbie." He said with a low voice, throwing her a dark glare. "A thank you would be nice for saving your life."

"I could've taken him no problem!" She insisted. "It's obvious he wasn't a fighter!"

"He would've killed everyone in this street."

"You don't know that! Are you trying to justify yourself for what you've done? You're no better than the gangs!"

That was it. The rebel's eyes widened in pure anger and annoyance. He dropped his bag and grabbed the blond by the collar before dragging her towards the corpse.

"Come here." He ordered.

"Hey! W-what are you doing! Let me go!"

Ignoring her protests, he grabbed her by the hair and forced her to look at the dead body. "You see those black spots? That guy had the dalmatian plague."

Hotaru stopped struggling. "Dalmatian plague?"

"It's a disease with no cure, highly contagious via skin contact. One touch and it's over." He explained, before pulling her away from the corpse, making her land heavily on her backside. The look he threw her was murderous. "Don't talk about things you don't know, you hypocrite."

Hotaru froze when she saw the look in his eyes. There wasn't just coldness in them, but a turmoil of different emotions, so confusing that she couldn't discern them. But she suddenly felt really ashamed of her words. Haruki grabbed the bah and threw it over his shoulder before pacing away rapidly.

'No better than the gangs, huh?' He thought. 'If only you knew how right you were.'

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	6. Unexpected fire

**Hey guys! Sorry for the tardiness, but I have a lot of work to get done for my BA this year so you'll have to be patient with me. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

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Hotaru sat there, her eyes fixated on the corps in front of her. The people around were still avoiding it even though it was in the middle of the merchant street. A plague? Life in Tensora was so primitive that medieval diseases were popping up and there was no way to cure them? And the desperate people who caught it blamed the world for doing this to them and became evil doers themselves? The blond grabbed her hair. Where was the justice in this place? Was everything made to crush it and leave people to fend for themselves without anything or anyone to protect them? She hated that thought. She hated that feeling of helplessness. But what could she have done for this man? A growl made her look up and she saw two stray dogs, so skinny that their bone were visible, run towards the corps and fighting over it. Even dogs deserved better treatment than this. She didn't know what she had to do anymore. What was the right thing to do? Was there no right or wrong, just survival? This was too much. She clenched her teeth and took a deep breath as she felt her eyes starting to water. She jumped a foot gently nudged her. The man from earlier, Taka, was smiling down at her.

"You're new here, aren't you?" He asked.

The girl quickly passed the back of her hand on her eyes to erase the signs of weakness that were her tears. "Yeah." She simply replied. "I never thought it was going to be this rotten though."

"Trust me it can get much worse. Haruki did the right thing. This guy couldn't be reasoned with, and we can't take the risk of having the merchants infected. The dalmatian plague is a nasty thing. Trust me. The guys in Toy Gun are the best around. I mean that in every aspect."

"Why are you telling me this?" She asked.

"Well, you looked like you were about to cry so I thought I'd help a little." He said smiling.

That made him sound like a natural playboy. Hotaru frowned at the man. "Haruki doesn't trust you."

"No he trusts me." Assured the informant. "He just doesn't like me."

"He told me you only work for money... That doesn't make me want to trust you either."

"Sorry kid, but I'd rather survive then try to accomplish an impossible goal. Killing the supreme leader? How the hell are they going to manage that? There's only three of them and no matter how good they are, Hoshishiro is better. They'd get shot before even approaching Central."

"There has to be a way to do it." Snapped the girl standing up. "I don't think there's anything wrong with trying to do the right thing."

"The right thing changes depending on the situation kid."

"No that's a lie!" Insisted Hotaru, suddenly annoyed by that man's cowardice. "No matter how much the world evolves or changes, there are things that will never change. It will always be wrong to take someone's life!"

The man seemed more surprised and amused than angry. "What about soldiers? Don't they kill to protect?"

"But they avoid it! Real soldiers are those who know when not to fire!"

"With a mentality like that, you won't last a week here."

"I've been told that a lot. But I don't plan to die here!" She said, with a determined look. "There's something I have to do. And no one is going to stop me from doing it! Until it's done, there's absolutely no way that I'll let anyone kill me!"

Taka looked at the youngling in front of him. In four years, he had never encountered someone like that. He was a difficult person to impress, but somehow that half-pint had managed to do it. "I think I know why Matsuoka wanted you in the team. What's your name?"

"Hotaru Tachibana."

"Call me Taka. Nice to meet you, Hotaru. Do you know how to get back?"

"Get back?" Hotaru looked around and realized that Haruki really had left her behind. She clenched her fist angrily. He could have waited for her. Then again he was very angry at her. After all, he knew the situation here much better than her. And her impulsive personality had overwhelmed her again.

"No..." She admitted.

The informant chuckled. "Well, I have one more delivery to make and then I can guide you back to their hideout."

"I'd really appreciate that, thank you." She said politely.

"Alright, follow me."

Hotaru followed the man, conscious that he could be leading her into something troublesome. But she needed a guide. She remained on guard however. It was in her nature to doubt people who were unwilling to fight for what was right and who took advantage of bad situations. But if Toy Gun was using him for information, it probably meant that they put their faith in him for some reason. Hotaru observed his pacing and posture as he walked in front of her. She could guess he had a well developed physic under those clothes, and his swift and easy movement showed her that he was probably very agile as well. Hotaru was used to listening to her instinct and observation skills. It was her best skill. And they were telling her that this man, if he wanted to, could make an excellent asset in a fight. His body wasn't weak. That wasn't the problem. No, it was his mind. His will had been broken. Like that of all those other people that refused to fight here. The young rebel bit her lip as she thought of how many people Kagetora had managed to hurt in only four years. How much misery he'd spread. Truly, there was no doubt in her mind. The monster needed to be taken down!

"Ow!" She let out when she bumped into Taka who'd suddenly stopped.

She looked around and realized that they were, in narrower and empty streets. Like the ones she'd met Kanae in. Creepy and uncertain, it didn't make the blondie anymore relaxed.

"Where are we?"

"I told you, I have one more delivery to make. It's better if you wait here though." Explained Taka. "My clients are used to seeing me alone."

"Wait, you're leaving me by myself?"

"I won't be far. You can see me from here. Just make sure my client doesn't see you."

"Oh, okay then."

Taka stepped in to the next street and Hotaru watched him from the corner of where she was. He stayed there immobile for a while until a strange whistling sound, almost like a bird's cry was heard. The informant then brought his fingers to his mouth and whistled back. Footsteps were heard and a man wearing a long dark blue coat and hiding under the hoodie appeared and walked towards Taka.

"Hey there. Long time no see, Ao." He greeted the newcomer.

"Likewise." Replied the figure politely. He brought his hands up and pushed back his hoodie, uncovering his face. What surprised Hotaru was the look on that man's face. He was smiling. It was surprising to her because ever since she'd set foot in Dorado, she'd never seen a single person genuinely smile. And the smile on that man's face seemed... true. He had dark green hair and grey eyes. He was much shorter than Matsuoka, she could tell. "That's quite a storm we've had this morning." He said joyfully.

"Not the worst we've seen around here." Said Taka.

"I was impressed. Almost got bored to death being locked up inside if you know what I mean. And now the sun's already burning up."

Small talk was also a luxury that the girl hadn't seen here. This person... his whole attitude was strange. Unadapted to this rotting and cursed place. The more she looked at him, the more Hotaru felt that difference. Who was he?

"Did you bring what I asked?"

Taka searched through his inner pockets and took out a small package. "Everything's in there."

"Thanks for the trouble." Replied the man politely, before handing over an envelop to the informant.

"Pleasure doing business with you. If you ever need anymore service, well … you always find me anyways. How do you do that by the way? I mean with detective skills like that, I don't see why you need me for info..."

The green haired man smiled. "Now, now. It would be pretty boring if the magician were to reveal his secret, wouldn't it? Besides, I've got what I need for now. Now I just have some clean up left to do and my job will be done. I'll see you around Taka."

The man turned around and started walking back in the direction from where he came from. But just as he was about to disappear from her line of sight, Hotaru spotted it. A tattoo on his neck. The head of a dragon. The rest of the tattoo was hidden under his clothes but Hotaru knew it was on his left shoulder.

'No way!' Thought the blondie. 'That guy's part of the gang that was chasing after Kanae!'

The man disappeared and Taka came back to Hotaru. "Sorry to make you wait. I'll show you back now..."

Before he had a chance to finish his sentence, the tomboy grabbed him by the shoulders brutally. "This guy! Do you know him?"

"Wow, easy kid. Yeah, he's asked me to do a couple of jobs for him. Won't tell me his name, though so I just call him Ao."

"The stuff you gave him, what was it?" She asked urgently tightening her grip on the confused informant.

"Sorry, I don't sharing what my clients ask for. It's bad for business."

"WAS IT INFORMATION ON THE RED STARS?" Shouted the girl, hesitating to take out her blade to make him spill the beans faster.

Taka's eyes widened and he looked at her like she'd just read his mind. "How the hell did you know about ..."

"You idiot! Didn't you see his tattoo?!" Said Hotaru, starting to panic. "He's part of a gang trying to capture medics!"

"You know the Salamanders?" Asked Taka even more shocked than before.

She was a fool to have trusted someone who worked for money. Haruki was right, this guy was rotten to the core! Hotaru let go of him and dashed in the direction the guy had disappeared to, ignoring Taka's calls.

"Kid, wait! Don't be an idiot!"

The streets she ran through were practically empty, but after a long sprint she finally spotted the man in the dark blue coat. She slowed down and tailed him as he made his way deeper.

'I have to get back whatever it is Taka gave this guy.' She thought as she stayed alert. 'If not, Kanae and other red stars could be in big trouble!'

However, the young rebel mentally slapped herself when she realized that she had no clue how she was going to get those back. She didn't know where she was and if she didn't want to create a commotion, she'd have to wait for the right moment. Hotaru kept following Ao until she saw him enter a building. In front of that building, were posted five or six man, smoking drinking and all armed.

"Shoot!" Cursed the girl. 'How am I going to get past them? There's no way they'll let me through without a fight unless...'

An idea blossomed in her mind, and at the same time her instincts were screaming at her that it was a very bad one. But the couldn't just stay there and let that info fall into the hands of Salamander. Who knows what the consequences would be? She took a deep breath before coming out of the shadows and slowly approaching the group of men. One of them, leaning against the wall saw her first and addressed her directly.

"You lost kid?"

"No." She assured, attempting to use the depest voice she could manage. "I'm looking for Salamander."

"What for?"

"I want to join."

The group of men stared at her like she was out of the madhouse, and then bursted out in cynical laughter. Hotaru had predicted that reaction and although it vexed her, she stayed calm.

"What's so funny?" She asked.

"You're joking right? What can a scrawny brat like you do?"

"I'm a lot stronger than I look." She assured.

"Why do you want to join anyway?"

"I'm not screwing around. I heard the perks were good." 'Amazing! If mom knew I talked like that, she'd come back from the dead to haunt me.' Thought the girl, thinking of how her strict mother had raised her to always be polite and speak properly.

"Ok. I'll tell you what. If you can land one hit on me, we'll let you in to see the boss."

"Deal."

The men snickered again, and the one that had called her out put down his weapon before getting closer to her and stood in front of her. Hotaru could tell by his posture, he was used to fighting but it was street fighting. Nothing a well trained soldier couldn't take. And she was much more than a well trained soldier. She approached the man and fainted a hit to the face. As predicted he simply stepped aside, thinking he was avoiding a kid's punch but Hotaru then spun on one foot and sent the other one flying in her opponent's chin. The guy fell on his back before he understood what had just happened. The others stared in shock before laughing again.

"Hahaha! Not bad brat. Alright, you can go inside. The chief should be on the third floor. He'll decide if you can join or not."

"Thanks." Said the girl hurrying inside.

As she walked through the hallways, she spotted a group of men talking in a room. "Is Ao back already?" Asked one of them.

"Yeah, I saw him just now." Replied another. "He went upstairs to see the boss."

"So we finally got the info from the informant? Awesome. When we get our hands on that medic, we'll have people begging us to join in no time."

Hotaru's heart sped up and she immediately went for the stairs. She couldn't let that information fall in the hands of a selfish gang like that. Who knows how many people would be forced to come under their control to have access to medical care? Just thinking about it made her blood boil. She raced up the staircases until she reached the third floor. But once she got there, she saw no one and heard nothing. She checked a couple of rooms but there was no more activity than in a graveyard.

'Did everyone just vanish?' She wondered as she looked around.

"Showing yourself in the open like this is pretty stupid you know." Whispered someone in her ear.

Shiver travelled up her spine, and out of pure reflex, the skinny teen flipped around and raised her fist. But her wrist was caught mid-air and she found herself pushed again a wall. She gritted her teeth to contain the pain in her arm and looked up at her assailant. It was the man in the dark blue cloak. With his hoodie she couldn't discern his face very well, but his smile was more than visible. Once more, his unadapted behavior struck her.

"Well hello there, Mr stalker." Said Ao as if he were greeting an old friend.

'What? Has he been on to me from the start?' She thought, stunned.

"I've noticed your presence ever since I left the informant. You're not very good at this."

His voice was incredibly inviting. But that only made Hotaru more agitated. She tried to pull her arm free but that guy was incredibly strong. Stronger than Haruki that was for sure, and the grouchy young man was not weak. When she realized how useless it was to try to pull free, she raised her free hand to attempt another punch. He slightly tilted his head, avoiding her hit but she accidentally shoved the hood off his head. He never stopped smiling and chuckled at her attempt.

"So." Said the man, completely ignoring her attempts at making him let go off her wrist. "Why were you stalking me?"

'This is weird. Why isn't he calling for backup?' She thought before snapping back. "Why the hell should I tell that to an enemy?"

"Enemy?" He said looking confused. "How do you know we're enemies?"

"You're part of Salamander right?"

"What's going on up here?" Said a voice as running footsteps got louder coming from the staircase. A couple of man with the dragon tattoo on their shoulders appeared. "Ao? What's going on?"

"Oh nothing much. I just found a little mouse sneaking around."

"A mouse?" The man that had arrived looked at Hotaru and suddenly his eyes widened. "Hey I know you. Yeah, you were that guy that helped the pink-haired medic escape!"

'Crap! This is bad!'

"Don't let him escape Ao! He knows where the red star is!"

Hotaru looked at the man named Ao. He seemed lost in thought for a moment and then let go of her hand earning himself the surprised look of the girl and of the other Salamander members.

"Sorry gents." He said apologizing. "But I'm done with you. I got what I came for so I don't need you anymore."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm saying using you scumbags was fun, but my business is over. I just gave my retirement present to the boss already. So whatever you want to do has nothing to do with me."

"You son of a bitch!" Shouted the man, before approaching them at a quick pace. "Who the hell do you think you are? D'you think we'll let you walk away like that, you arrogant prick?!"

The thug went to grab the green haired man's shirt, but instead, Ao grabbed his wrist and twisted it until a nasty cracking sound was heard, and the man screamed in pain. But that wasn't all. With such swift movement and speed that even Hotaru's trained eyes couldn't follow, the man ended up behind his attacker and circled his arms around the thug's neck and head. And with a quick and powerful move, he snapped it. Hotaru's heart skipped a beat as the thug fell lifeless on the ground and before she could look up again...

POW! POW! POW!

Three gunshots resonated in the hallway, and half a second later, three more dead bodies hit the ground. Hotaru's mouth hung open as she stared at Ao. How the hell had he moved so fast? The green haired man lowered his weapon and with his free hand took off the dark blue cloak. He was wearing beige pants, black boots and a three-quarter sleeved green shirt. He turned to the young rebel again.

"Now then." He said taking a step closer to her and placed the front sight of his gun under her chin, lifting it to make her look up. "Do you still want to be my enemy... Mr stalker?"

Hotaru hadn't realized but she'd started shaking. "I-I don't get it... Aren't you … one of them?" She asked confused. Darn it, she couldn't stop her voice from shaking. She knew that if she fought this guy she'd loose. He chuckled again and licked his free hand before rubbing the skin of his neck. When he pulled away, most of the dragon head had faded, leaving dark traces on his skin.

'Was this guy undercover? Then that means he's probably Salamander's enemy as well.'

The pressure of the cold metal on her neck pulled her out of her thoughts. "You still haven't answered my question Mr stalker."

"Quit calling me that!" She said as best she could, given the circumstances. The gun under her chin didn't make her feel at ease at all. "I-I wanted the documents the informant gave you..."

"That's what you were interested in? Why?"

"Because I didn't want the Salamanders to get their hands on a red star! That would be... really bad, right?"

"Pff! HAHAHAHAHA!"

The man suddenly bursting out in laughter surprised the young rebel. Had she said something funny. "You're interesting kid, I'll give you that. And don't look so serious. I was just kidding about shooting you."

It didn't feel like a joke to her. She was certain that if she had been this man's enemy, he wouldn't have hesitated to shoot her. The thought sent more shivers down her spine. "Anyone would be freaking out at having a gun pointed at them..." She said.

"Good thing you're not my enemy, right?" He said winking at her.

'What is this feeling? I feel so uncomfortable answering that...' "I-I want those documents back." She said.

"Afraid I can't do that. I need those. But you know what? Since we're both in enemy territory, how about a truce until we're both out of here? What do you say Mr stalker?"

"I told you to stop with the nickname!"

"Then... why don't you give me something to call you by then?" He said, that gentle smile never leaving his face.

'Just who in the world is this weird person?' She wondered.

More footsteps made both of them look towards the staircase. The gunshots had probably been heard loud and clear. From the noise, Hotaru could tell that there were over twenty people rushing up the stairs. She couldn't fight that many. Especially if she was unarmed. Ao suddenly grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her quickly further down the hall. He then kicked open a rotten wooden door and pulled her inside. Once more she found herself pressed against a wall but this time by his entire body. The girl's cheeks instantly turned red and she tried to push him away.

"Hey what do you think you're doing?"

"Shh!" He shushed as he pressed his ear against the wall. "This is harder than I thought. If I were alone it'd be easy to escape but with you here..."

"I-I'm sorry." She said, reflexively.

"Oh well. I'll just have to create a distraction for you to escape and then make my own way out. That easy!" He simply said.

'He got over that quickly.' She thought. "But that's reckless! There are too many of them." She whispered.

Again, he chuckled instead of replying, showing off a confidence Hotaru had only seen in one person in her entire life. And it scared her. He pulled away from the wall and looked down at the girl who was basically trapped under him.

"Oops, sorry." He said taking a step back, he then presented the gun to her. "Here, you take this."

"Wait a minute! You'll be unarmed! And besides, I'm a terrible shot..."

"Let's trade then."

"Trade? AAH!"

The girl let out a cry of surprise and tensed up when he suddenly placed his hand on her left hip. He then crouched down and slid his hand down her leg until he reached her knee high boots. He unsheathed the knife Kanae gave her, and smiled up at her again.

"I'll take this." He said before standing back up and handing her the gun. "I'll drag them with me to the upper levels. Get back down when the hallway's cleared. Then you can get out of here."

This was way too reckless, and what the hell kind of a plan was that?! "But..."

He grabbed her chin, interrupting her and got closer until his face was only an inch away form hers. "And as for payment for helping you, I keep those documents. Deal? It's not like you have much choice in the matter."

"..."

"Good luck then. Mr stalker." Ao winked at her before releasing her.

"Wait!"

He had already disappeared back into the hall. Hotaru found herself alone, holding a half-charged weapon as she waited for the commotion in the hallway to move to the higher floors. What else could she do? She wasn't used to this? She crouched down and hugged her legs, wishing Matsuoka and the others were here. When she heard the members of Salamander moving up the stairs, chasing after Ao, she took a deep breath.

"Come on Tachibana!" She told herself. "You can do this."

Gripping the weapon, in her hands she checked the hallways before dashing towards the stairs.

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 **Cliffhanger! Will Hotaru be able to escape the lair of the Salamander gang?**


	7. That bit of humanity

**Hi guys! It's been a while! I hope everything's great with you!**

 **Enjoy!**

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"Come on Tachibana!" She told herself. "You can do this."

Gripping the weapon, in her hands she checked the hallways before dashing towards the stairs. Hotaru jumped down the first two flights of stairs and ended up on the second floor... but face to face with a group of men with dragon tattoos on their shoulders.

"Who the hell are you kid?"

'Darn it!' She cursed. 'Think Tachibana, quick!'

"What are you guys doing?" She shouted at them. "Ao's getting away!"

"Ao? What's he got to do with anything?"

"Didn't you hear the shots? He killed the boss!" She insisted. She didn't have any proof of this but she thought there was a good chance that she was right. "Now hurry up, or he'll get away!"

"That sly bastard! I knew he was no good." Cursed the man before turning to his companions. "Let's go boys!"

Hotaru got out of the way, as the group of Salamander members raced up the stairs to go join the others. She then resumed her race down the stairs. But at the top of the last flight of stairs, another gang member blocked her path. Only this one knew her face. It was one of the men outside she'd lied to to get inside the building and follow Ao. And the way he looked at her showed her his suspicions.

"What do you think you're doing, kid?" He said, eying her. "That's quite a commotion that's gone down since you went up there..."

She clenched her teeth and there was no way she could come up with something other than a clear and valid explanation, and she wasn't quick enough. When the guy reached for his gun, the ball of instincts that was Hotaru Tachibana immediately reacted and jumped down the stairs, landing a heavy kick in his face and clearing her way. The young rebel dashed forward again as fast as she could to get to the entrance door. But other members appeared and blocked her way. She tried to change her itinerary to find a window to escape but the room she ended up in, was also filled with Salamanders.

"Don't let that brat escape!" Said the man she'd kicked in the face as he blocked the doorway. "I'm pretty sure he's a spy."

'Not good!' Thought the girl getting on guard.

A man tried to approach her and grab her arm, but the young rebel was too fast for that and sent him over her shoulder. Another took a knife out and swung at her. Again, she was too agile on her feet, and compared to her mother, these people moved like turtles. She stepped out of the way as he thrusted the knife forward and kicked him so hard in the stomach that a rib cracked. The people left in the room understood that close quarters were not to their advantage with this rebel. So the man who followed her from the stairs pointed his gun at her.

"Move and you die kid!" He ordered.

Hotaru froze on the spot. She still had the gun Ao had given her in the inner pocket of her jacket. But if she made one suspicious move, she could end dead.

"Put your hands where I can see them." Ordered the Salamander.

She brought her hands up and backed up against the wall. She looked around. All of them had firearms, and she only had a few bullets left. But just reaching for the weapon might end up being her undoing. The man took a few steps closer, keeping her at gun point.

"So tell me kid. Who the hell are you? And careful. If I don't like your answer, I'll shoot you."

Hotaru clenched her teeth. She needed to lie and quickly. Technically these guys didn't know her so even if she did tell them who she was, there was a chance they'd still get suspicious and kill her. But if she said she was from Toy Gun, they would definitely not let her go.

"I have nothing to say to you." She affirmed, throwing him a determined glare.

"Wrong answer kid." Replied the man readjusting his gun.

"Hold on a second." Said another man in the room before coming closer.

"You've seen him before?"

"Yeah. When we were sent after that pink-haired medic. That kid helped her escape. Yeah, you've changed your clothes but your definitely that person. Also, if I remember correctly, you're a girl."

The girl's eyes widened in shock and her whole body tensed up. It's true that when she was with Kanae, the clothes she was wearing were clearly feminine. Curse this man for having such a good memory. The one holding her at gun point turned back to her, but this time he had a nasty smirk in his face.

"A girl huh? Interesting." He came closer to her until there was less than a foot between them and roughly cupped her cheeks with his free hand. "Hard to tell. How about letting me check, sweetheart?"

A vibe of fear and anger travel throughout her body, triggering Hotaru's defense reflexes and the blondie sent her knee in the guy's stomach. He backed off a few steps, coughing loudly to regain his breath and holding his stomach painfully.

"This kind of evil, Tachibana doesn't forgive!" Shouted the girl at the man her fists clenched and a dark aura surrounding her.

The man threw her an angry look and pointed his weapon at her again. "Wrong move, you little bitch!"

POW

A shot indeed resonated, but from the outside. The bullet broke the glass of a window before going through the head of the man that was threatening the girl. His body fell to the ground like a rag doll would. All the men in the room turned to the broken window, looking at each other wondering what the hell happened. While all Hotaru could do was stare at the corpse of the man in front of her. It was nauseating. But she didn't have time to think. Something else resembling a grenade was tossed through the window. When it detonated, the entire room was swarmed with white smoke.

The young rebel coughed loudly, wondering what was happening. 'I should get out of here while I have this cover.'

But the smoke wasn't only a cover. She leaned on the wall as she kept coughing. The white fog was making her throat itch like crazy and her eyes stung so much that her vision got even blurrier. She tried to find her way, but she couldn't keep her eyes open long and coughed louder. She heard a couple of shots being fired and then quick footsteps approaching her and a hand was placed on her shoulder. Panicking, the blondie threw her fist up at the shape she could barely discern. But a strong hand caught her wrist, stopping her.

"Hotaru!" Said a familiar , yet muffled voice. "Calm down it's me."

"Matsuoka?" She managed to let out in between two coughs.

"Keep your eyes closed. I got you."

The blond man, who's face was covered by a gas mask, threw the younger rebel over his shoulder and made his way through the fog avoiding the gang members who were still choking on the smoke. Toy Gun's leader quickly made his way towards the door and once in the hallway, shut it behind him. The leader set his latest recruit against the wall. He grabbed his gourd and helped her drink some water. The cold liquid immediately soothed her burning throat and she inhaled fresh air while the blond man applied a wet cloth to her dry eyes. When he pulled it away she blinked a couple of times. Her vision was not back at 100% but she saw enough to discern the face of the leader who was removing his gas mask.

"Matsuoka!" She exclaimed, as a huge wave of relief released the tension in her body. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you think?" He replied, yelling and frowning.

"Hey, Masamune!" Shouted another voice from further away. Hotaru turned her head to see another man with short brown hair, also wearing a gas mask. From the gun and voice, she recognized Toy Gun's weapon expert.

"Now's not the time!" Said Haruki, before taking another shot towards the end of the hallway. "We have to get out of here before the rest of Salamander get's here!"

Matsuoka agreed with a sign of the head and turned to the girl again, with the same angry frown as before. "I'll deal with you later. Are you armed?"

The young rebel reached inside her jacket and took out Ao's gun. "Good. Follow me and stay close!" Ordered Toy Gun's leader.

He grabbed Hotaru's wrist and pulled her to her feet before turning to his weapon expert. "Haruki! Cover our backs."

"Got it!"

The three of them dashed forward, heading for the entrance hall. Hotaru followed the rebel leader and observed as he cleared the way. The Salamander gang members who tried to get in the way were shot before any of them could even think of raising their weapons at them. And Haruki, was moving slowly behind them, making sure that their backs were covered, and he didn't seem to miss his shots either. Hotaru suddenly realized that both of them were protecting her. That never happened before.

She followed the blond man until they finally reached the front door that Matsuoka kicked open and they finally exited the HQ of the Salamander gang. Toy Gun's leader grabbed Hotaru by the arm and the three of them kept running until they reached a street a little further away where the jeep was waiting for them. Haruki took off his gas mask while Matsuoka grabbed his radio from one of the pouches that were strapped to his waist.

"Yukki! We got him, you can come down. Hurry up. There's still a chance that more of these guys will show up."

" _Roger. I'll be down in five."_ Replied the sniper.

Matsuoka put away his radio before walking over to his latest recruit who was still catching her breath. She looked at him.

"Matsuoka, thank..."

"You idiot!" He snapped, making her jump. "What the hell were you thinking?! I knew you were a hot-head but that tops anything I imagined! Were you trying to get yourself killed?!"

"O-of course not!" Said the blondie, still a bit surprised at the man's sudden anger. "I was trying to ..."

"You followed someone you didn't even know into enemy territory without so much as a plan. Did I get something wrong so far?" He said scornfully, crossing his arms on his chest.

"No, but..."

"But what?!" He snapped again.

"Mune, look..." Started Haruki, with a voice that Hotaru would judged to be slightly embarrassed.

"Shut up! This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't left him there!" Said Matsuoka, reproachfully at his weapon expert. "You're just as guilty."

That sentence made Haruki looked away and keep from any other attempt at calming down his leader. Matsuoka was right. Both of them were at fault. But in a way, he was more guilty than their new recruit. The blond leader turned back to Hotaru, who was suddenly clenching her fists.

"I had no choice..." She muttered.

"What was that?"

"You heard me, I had to get that information back!" She said. "I don't see what I did wrong here Matsuoka! If Salamander got their hands on it, then they would've found and captured a Red Star! I couldn't just sit back and let that happen!"

"And what if you'd been killed, you dumbass?" Continued the leader. "Who would've helped that medic then.

"I'm not weak!" She shouted even louder.

"It's got nothing to do with being weak, stupid! You were alone and unarmed in the middle of their HQ! How was any of that a smart idea? Did you think you could've taken all three hundred of them by yourself?"

Her cheeks reddened as she got angrier. "What kind of coward are you to say that? You would've just sit back and let it happen? Is that what you would've done Matsuoka? What's the point in doing what you do, if you're not going to help those who need it?"

SLAP!

She didn't have time to finish her point, when a gloved hand was sent flying on her cheek. For a moment, the tomboy was surprised. She didn't think Matsuoka was one to hit his comrades. Holding her cheek she looked up at him again.

"Don't talk about things you don't understand." Said Toy Gun's leader with a quieter voice this time, but that still showed how angry and disappointed he was. "It's because I know how this place works and what kind of people roam it that I know how to take action. Until you know as much as I do, you listen to me Hotaru. Is that clear?"

The teenager was still holding her cheek. Everything that had gone down since this morning came played out in her mind at a sickening speed. Again and again. And she still couldn't see what she'd done wrong. Why wasn't he listening to her? What she had done was for the sake of someone... no of many people that depended on the Red Star medics. She lowered her eyes and looked away. Matsuoka took that a sign of submission and walked over to the jeep.

"Get in." He ordered the two of them. "We're leaving as soon as the two get here."

'Two?' Wondered Hotaru.

"MATTSUN!" Called out a voice from the end of the street.

Hotaru, Matsuoka and Hotrau all turned around to see their sniper and the informant running towards them. So that's how Toy Gun found her. Taka's face lit up when he saw the tomboy and stopped near her.

"Glad to see you in one piece, you crazy kid." Said the informant, ruffling her hair. "You guys should get out of here quickly. With this commotion, they'll search the streets soon."

"Right. Everyone in the jeep, now."

"This is where I leave you. Good luck guys."

The blue-haired man started running back to where they'd come from but came to an abrupt stop when a bullet crashed at his feet. A man with a dragon tattoo in a nearby alley was aiming for him.

"Crap!" Cursed the informant, reaching for his gun while knowing that he didn't have the time.

POW!

The man that was about to kill him suddenly fell to the ground, lifeless. Taka turned around and his eyes widened when he saw the newest recruit of Toy Gun pointing a gun. Hotaru's entire body was shaking. There was no mistaking it. This was the first time she shot at someone. That look of terror in her eyes was unmistakable. But he didn't have time to worry about that. He thanked the newbie with a salute sign and disappeared in the next street.

Meanwhile, Hotaru wasn't moving, still pointing the gun in the direction she'd shot. But now, even though her entire body was shaking, she was paralyzed. Her mind was so blank, she couldn't think. She didn't even hear Yukimura call her.

"Tachibana! Hurry, we have to get out of here!"

Knowing that she wouldn't respond, Haruki jumped off the vehicle and grabbed the younger rebel and pushed her in the back before jumping in after her.

"GO!" He ordered to Matsuoka who turned on the engine.

* * *

 **A few blocks away**

The man with the green hair casually walked through the streets, humming a nice lullaby as if he was on a normal evening stride. He'd thought this day was going to be a boring one, like all the others since they came here. The only good point of this day was suppose to be the end of that terribly boring mission he was executing. But it turned out interesting. Especially that one bit about being followed by such an adorable stalker. He chuckled as he remembered that face, so red at their close contact and that worry towards a stranger. What an odd encounter that was. Nothing could please him more than a unexpected event like this one. He was pulled out of his thoughts when a certain truck came in sight. Two people were in front of it, arguing.

"Doctor, you're back!" Said the blue-haired woman with a ponytail. "Good work today."

"Thank you Ichi." He replied smiling. "Fujimoto, is everything in place?"

"All rigged up, Sir." Replied the man with white hair who seemed to be at least two heads taller than him.

"Alright, good work everyone." He praised his subordinates.

"Oh my goodness!" Exclaimed the girl when her eyes landed on the green haired man's clothes that were covered in red stains. "What happened to you? Are you injured Sir? We need to take a look at those wounds right away!"

"Don't worry Ichi. It's not mine." Simply brushed off the man.

"Oh, I see." She replied sighing in relief. "Your uniform is inside the truck if you want to change."

"I'll do that. Just one more thing." Said the doctor before stepping into the back of the truck. "Fujimon. Would you mind cleaning that up for me?"

The tall man approached to grab the bloody knife his superior was presenting him with. It was not one of the knives that was part of their gear, even though it seemed to be a good blade.

"Sure thing, doc. But where did you get this? It's not part of our gear. Are you sure you want to keep it?"

"I only borrowed it. I need to give it back in good shape." Explained the doctor before entering the back of the truck. After having changed into his usual uniform, the green-haired man ordered his subordinates to get in the truck. Fujimoto sat in the passenger seat, while Ichi joined the doctor in the back. Once all three of them were in, their superior addressed the stoic faced driver.

"Let's go Haruharu."

The driver turned on the engine but then looked at the doctor, eying him with contempt. "Do not call me that."

"Sorry, sorry. I know it's your brother nickname but it suits you none the less."

This time, the man with a stoic face turned back without answering and started driving away. Meanwhile, the woman looked at her superior and noticed the smile on his face. It was odd. Not that he wasn't one to smile but usually, when the doctor came back from what he called a 'boring mission', he'd look annoyed and napped in the truck on the way back. And right now he looked... almost happy.

"Doctor?"

"Hmm? What is it Ichi?"

"Did something good happen? You look pleased."

"Well... yes something did happen."

"May I ask what?"

He placed a gloved finger in front of his mouth. "Sorry, that's my secret for now. But you should find out pretty soon. Oh, Fujimon?"

"Yes, Sir?"

"Give me the detonator."

The giant man searched his bag before handing a small remote like device to the doctor. A dark smile appeared on the green-haired man, as he adjusted the object in his hand so that the red button would be under his thumb. He pressed it, and in the distance, the sound of an explosion was heard.

"Now that we're done with the annoying stuff..." Said the doctor handing the detonator back to Fujimoto and taking the documents Taka had given him. "Let's see how the Red Stars are moving."

"Oh right." Said Fujimoto. "You were suppose to get the info on where to find a medic. What's their name?"

"Kanae Yajima." Replied Midori, that smirk never leaving his face.

* * *

 **Toy Gun HQ**

None of them was saying anything. Matsuoka had his eyes on the road, Yukimura was in the passenger seat, going over some sort of map. Haruki on the other hand kept his eyes on the youngest of the group. The kid was sitting on the floor, hugging her legs tightly and resting her head on them. But she was anything but restful. Her eyes weren't blinking and the only thing going through her mind in that moment was the sound of a gun shot and that image of the men falling down. She did her best to hide it but her legs were still shaking. It was like a restless ocean was inside her stomach, agitated and making her sick.

'Did I really do that? Did I just shoot someone?'

Her breathing accelerated as the thought haunted her. She realized that the vehicle stopped only when the weapon expert placed a hand on her shoulder, making her jump. "Hey newbie. We're here."

The tomboy looked up and realized that they were indeed in the underground parking of their HQ. Haruki could only guess how shaken up she was. After all, they'd all been through that. He asked if she was alright, and she only replied with a vague sign of the head. But the instant she stepped out of the vehicle and was back on her feet, her stomach started to feel way too full. She brought one hand to it and the other to her mouth. Realizing she wouldn't be able to keep it much longer, Hotaru turned around and dashed towards the way out.

"Hey where are you going?" Called out Haruki.

"N-nature calls! I'll be right back!" She replied before speeding up.

The instant she was out, she leaned on the wall and emptied the content of her stomach which mostly consisted of stomach acid, burning her throat and making her cough loudly. She panted, leaning her head and arms on the wall and praying that her shaking legs wouldn't give in. Without any warning, a river of tears escaped her eyes and mixed with the vomit on the ground. Letting herself sob, she clenched her her hand over her chest and moon-shaped necklace.

As she cried, she finally understood what had gone wrong. Going into enemy territory, alone, without a plan or a weapon was far from being the worst, like Matsuoka said. No. It was because in a way, she'd betrayed them. She was one of them, of course they would've done anything to save her. Even if it meant storming an enemy gang HQ and risking their lives to get her out. She felt so pathetic.

"I'm so sorry, Mom..." She muttered in between her sobs. "I lied … I put my comrades in danger … and I killed... I knew it was going to happen, but... I wasn't ready. Not for that..."

"Hotaru." Called out a gentle voice.

She almost jumped out of her skin and looked up. Toy Gun's leader was standing in front of her, a couple meters away. The look on his face wasn't angry anymore. It was sad and pitiful. The tomboy stepped away from the wall and faced him, but her eyes were on the ground. Really. Was it possible to get anymore pathetic? Especially in front of the guy she'd disappointed the most.

"You can laugh, you know..." She said.

The only answer she got was silence, and when she dared to look at his face all she saw was that same sad stare. She clenched her teeth in frustration and more tears escaped her eyes. Why wasn't he giving her the punishment she deserved? Why did he look at her like that?

"What are you waiting for?" She shouted at him, even though it was at herself that she was mad. "Go ahead! Tell me I'm weak! Tell me I'm useless! Tell me you don't need someone like me! Go on!"

Again he didn't respond, but this time he walked slowly towards her and only stopped when he was only half a foot away from her. Taking a handkerchief out of his pocket, he wiped her mouth, as the stream of tears went on down her face. He then gently grabbed her shoulders.

"Listen, Hotaru." He said with that same gentle voice as before. "The day I'll call someone weak for puking after killing someone for the first time, I hope you shoot me."

Her eyes widened and she raised her head to look at him. "Huh?"

"It's disgusting." He continued. "To take someone's life is one of the most repulsive acts a human being can pull. Even if it's for a good cause, it never makes it easier or cleaner. What I see in your sickness is your humanity. A humanity that a tyrant is threatening to make disappear in our country. And I'll tell you one thing : hang on to it. Hang on to that bit of humanity. Because as long as you have that, you'll be able to save others."

The tomboy's eyes widened and she stared at him in the eyes. His beautiful eyes were so gentle, so caring... so loving. Her heart skipped a bit. When was the last time someone had looked at her like that? It must have been at least … four years. The warm and yet overwhelming sensation took possession of her and a new flow of tears escaped her already red eyes.

"Matsuoka..." She let out, her voice choked by that emotion she'd missed so much.

If she didn't have that one bit of self-control left, she probably would've hugged him, but she restrained herself. Only to realize that she didn't have to when the blond man closed the space between them and wrapped his arms around his youngest comrade. She would've blushed but her face was already tomato red from all the crying.

"Let it out, before you burst. I promise, I won't tell Yukki or Haruki."

Feeling that she wouldn't have the strength to push him away, the girl buried her face in his chest and hung on to the back of his shirt, squeezing the blue fabric in her hands.

"I'm sorry... I really was stupid... I'm so sorry... I'm sorry..." She kept muttering as she let herself go.

A soft chuckle escaped the handsome man's lips. "No one can ever be ready for something like that, kid. Don't beat yourself up."

'Matsuoka... is so kind.' She thought, as she enjoyed the warmth of his chest and the protection of his strong arms around her skinny figure.

'Mom, Dad. I hope you can see him. That person I'm going to fight with.'

* * *

 **Hope you liked it!**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**


	8. Infected

**Hey guys! Sorry, i know it's been forever, but I had important exams.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Matsuoka patiently waited for the teen to stop crying and when she did, he let her go. He knew that she still had a lot to learn about this place, even though he didn't expect her to kill so soon. Nonetheless their newbie had saved Taka's life and that in itself was a good thing. The two companions joined Yukimura and Haruki. Both were sitting near a fire on which was cooking something. The weapon master briefly looked up at Hotaru before averting his eyes and focusing on cleaning his weapon.

"Finally." Said Yukimura. "You guys are just on time. Dinner's almost ready."

Hotaru stared in surprise as she expected them to question why they'd been gone so long. And she was pretty sure her eyes were still red from her crying. Yukimura wasn't stupid, he probably knew and was at least kind enough from not making any comment. Matsuoka threw her another smile and she quietly sat next to Haruki on the ground and hugged her legs. She observed her comrades a bit longer.

"So what are we having?" Asked their blond leader.

"Mash potatoes and green beans." Said Yukimura. "I even managed to get us some salt."

"Wow! Luxury meal it is! Lucky us."

"Yukimura? Haruki?" Said Hotaru, earning herself the attention of the group of men. "I'm... I'm really sorry about today. I didn't mean to cause you so much trouble and put you in danger."

The more time passed, the more she regretted her actions and cursed her hot-headedness. They'd warned her that the rules here were different. Her sense of justice would suffer here, she knew that much. Yukimura stared for a moment before answering.

"Well, I knew you'd be trouble from the moment I laid eyes on you, so it wasn't all that surprising." He said casually, as if it was the most natural reaction in the world. "But if you do that again, I will get mad."

The blond leader chuckled. "Trust me, he's scary when he gets pissed for real."

"Oh, so I scare you, Mattsun?"

"I didn't say that."

"But you were thinking it."

"Maybe when you can actually hold longer than ten seconds against me in combat."

"Cheap argument."

Hotaru smiled while staring at the fire. Her intuition hadn't fooled her. Yukimura really was a nice guy. If he understood that she was truly sorry or if he simply knew that Matsuoka had already scolded her, either way, he seemed to not hold a grudge. And for that, she was thankful. As the two men bickered, the girl turned her attention to the weapon master. His eyes were focused on the gun he was cleaning, but at the same time he seemed miles away from here.

'Guess he must still be mad at me.' She thought before sighing and looking away. 'I don't blame him though. I really must have hurt his feelings back there. He knows a lot more than me about this place. If I'd listened to him, none of this would've happened.'

The young man suddenly stood up and walked towards the door his weapon in hand. "I'll eat later. I still need to finish cleaning up the guns."

"But it'll be cold ..." Started Hotaru.

He ignored her and walked out, the eyes of the leader and sniper staring at him until he shut the door. Yukimura turned to the blond man who blew smoke out of his lungs.

"I suppose he already got the lecture?" Asked the sniper.

"Yeah."

Yukimura sighed. "Great. And here we go again."

"What are you talking about?" Asked the tomboy.

"When Haruki makes a mistake, he goes emo. He really doesn't know how to get rid of guilt, so he won't talk for two or three days, unless you talk to him."

"But that's not right. I'm the one who got in trouble."

"He left you there when you were his responsibility, Hotaru." Said Matsuoka with a serious glare. "As the leader of this team, it's my job to give orders and you to follow them. I can't excuse something like this."

The girl looked at her feet. "But... I made him angry. I called him a murderer..."

"What?"

"Yeah, that's what I want to know. Taka didn't have time to explain to us but how did you two get separated?" Asked Yukimura.

"Well, there was this guy that was scaring the merchants. Haruki said he had something called the Dalmatian plague..."

"Let me guess. He was crazy and was trying to infect others?"

"Yeah, how did you know?" She asked surprised.

"He's not the first. Haruki killed him I suppose. And you didn't understand what was going on so you lashed out at him."

Once more, the tomboy looked down in shame and nodded. 'I guess I didn't realize just how much I messed up... I thought Matsuoka was the most affected, but Haruki's the one who was forced to risk his life for me and get lectured to top it all off. I really should apologize to him.'

She looked up at her two oldest comrades. "Uhm, can I bring him his food? It's really better if he eats warm." She said slightly embarrassed and scratching her cheek.

Matsuoka and Yukimura looked at each other surprised. Haruki had been nothing but nasty to their new recruit from the start, so the fact that the tomboy was suddenly asking permission to nurture him was, well, odd. Both smiled at each other. The scrawny blond didn't seem to stop surprising them every time. The sniper filled a mess tin with their dinner and added a little salt before handing it to her. She started leaving.

"Hotaru." Called out Matsuoka stopping her. "When he's sulking, he's either on the roof or in the training room."

"Alright, thanks." She said before exiting.

Yukimura observed his leader who leaned back against the wall, smiling like an idiot. "You really like that kid, don't you Mattsun?"

"Yep. So do you, don't deny it. I thought for sure you would've been at least a little mad at him for today's fiasco. " Matsuoka took two more mess tins and filled them with mash potatoes, before handing one over to Yukimura.

"That's not it. It's too early for me to decide. But I just realized that we're the only people this kid could possibly be okay with. It's a chance that Kanae sent him to us. Otherwise, he'd have gotten himself killed on the first day here. For the record, I still don't trust that kid to have my back on a mission. Haruki said he was the worst shot he ever saw."

"Is all of that because of a book?" Asked the leader, earning himself the surprised glare of his friend.

"You saw that?"

"It's just like you to be attracted to someone who still takes the time to read despite the times and the place. Did it make you nostalgic?"

"Don't ask questions when you know the answer. It's annoying Mattsun." Said Yukimura before taking a spoonful of mash potatoes in his mouth.

"Don't sulk." Replied the leader chuckling. "We're already gonna have to deal with Haruki for the next couple of days."

"In that case, stop annoying me."

* * *

Meanwhile, Hotaru climbed to the floor above to go the weapon and training room. As Matsuoka had predicted, Haruki was there. Night had fallen completely and only a small lantern-torchlight next to him was lighting the room. The atmosphere was … sad to say the least. It was almost like the tomboy could taste the guilt in the air. She risked a few steps closer.

"What do you want?" He asked without turning around.

"Hum, I thought it'd be bad if you ate cold, so I brought you dinner." She said.

He lifted his head and a hint of surprise showed on his face. But he quickly returned to his sulking attitude and kept tending to his weapon. "You can just leave it here."

"Actually..." Continued the girl, scratching her cheek nervously. "I want to talk to you too."

As he didn't respond she sat down on the ground facing him. She felt a swarm of heat invade her face as she turned red. Thank goodness it was too dark for him to see anything. She hoped. As she didn't say anything for a while, gathering her thoughts, the young man sighed.

"Anytime today?"

"Sorry... it's just... Never mind." She looked at him straight in the eyes, surprising him once more and then bowed her head. "I'm so sorry about today Haruki. You know this place and it's rules a lot better than me. You're a long time fighter and I'm just a newbie. And because of my hot-headedness, you had to risk your life for me. I even called you a murderer..." The more she talked the more her face felt hot as the shame and guilt started tainting her as well. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. And also... thank you for saving me."

She remained head down, unable to see the look of utter shock on the young man's face. Haruki was frozen in his thoughts and movements alike. After a minute or so of complete silence, Hotaru risked a peek at his face. He turned away, so they wouldn't cross eyes.

"We were both being hot heads." He said. "I'm sorry too. I forgot but, I was new here too at some point and I had to learn. That wasn't the best way to teach you."

The girl straightened up completely and looked at him, her eyes wide open. It seemed to unsettle him, as he leaned back a bit and looked elsewhere. "Hum, anyways... What I'm trying to say is, you're not the only one at fault here. Even though you did piss me off... Damn it! I'm trying to say I'm sorry too, okay!"

It was almost like he'd gotten mad at her again. And for the second time, Hotaru witnessed the boy's embarrassment. But the atmosphere in the room had definitely lightened up. So she allowed herself to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Growled the weapon handler. "You trying to piss me off or something?!"

"No, no I promise." She said, as she tried to control her laughter. "I'm not laughing at you. I'm just relieved that you forgive me."

No matter how dark it was, there was no way she could've missed the red taking over the older man's face. "H-hey! When did I say I was forgiving you?!"

Her smile suddenly vanished. "Then you're not?"

"I didn't say that either!" He shouted, getting more and more flustered.

Hotaru couldn't help but smile at this guy's dishonesty. "You don't have to worry. Tachibana will do whatever it takes to make it up to you! You have my word!"

Haruki sweat-dropped at the declaration. Promises. The concept itself was practically banished here, since no one trusted anyone. But this kid... even after what he'd been through, he was still hanging on to stuff like that. Part of him wanted to give the newbie a well-needed reality check but another, somehow felt the urge to protect that rare bit of sunshine. After all, it was almost a legend to have someone this honest nearby.

'Seriously? This brat is the handful.'

Haruki sighed, but instead of scolding their latest recruit some more. He looked away as he extended his hand and ruffled the youngster's blond hair. "You don't have to make a fuss about something so trivial, ya know? Just do your job right, and we'll be even." He said.

"Really?" Hotaru exclaimed as her eyes sparkled with glee, catching him off guard. "That's great!"

Haruki's face then twisted in doubt as he said. "Seriously what's up with talking about yourself in the third person?"

"Oh, sorry." She replied scratching the back of her head. "My mom use to do that whenever she'd get fired up. I sort of caught her bad habit. Is it weird?"

"Yes." He replied bluntly. "Wait, Tachibana is your mother's last name? Were your parents not married?"

Hotaru froze at the sudden question. "N-no, of course my parent's were married. It's just that, hum... well...you see, huh... the Tachibana family was really prideful of it's name and reputation, so even the girls usually kept the name after getting married." She said really fast. "That's all!"

"Oh, okay."

'Phew! That was a close one.' Thought the girl, relieved that he didn't push the subject further."By the way Haruki, how old are you?"

"Why do you want to know that?"

"I'd just like to get to know the three of you better. So I don't make mistakes like today."

"I'm twenty two. Masamune and Tooru are twenty four."

"Really? I thought you guys were much older than that." Commented Hotaru, curiously. "They do say war can make people grow old faster."

An angry vein popped up on Haruki's forehead. "This is borderline insulting, you know that right? Besides you're one to talk. Masamune said you were seventeen, but honestly, I have a hard time giving you fifteen."

"Uh, yeah, I get that a lot. What did you do before the war?"

"I was training at the military academy to be a doctor."

"You too? Were the three of you soldiers together?"

"I see Masamune told you. No, he was already an officer. That man may look like a goofball to you, but he's a genius. Without him, there's no way this thing we have going would work."

"I see."

"As for Tooru, he wasn't even close to the army. He and Masamune were childhood friends, but he was actually a writer."

"Seriously? I had no idea! How did he get this good at sniping?"

"You pick up quickly skills you need to survive. Tooru learned faster than anyone I've ever seen and Masamune helped him a lot."

"I see. Yukimura is amazing! You make them sound like brothers. What about you Haruki, do you have any siblings?"

That question froze him on the spot. The blood inside his veins boiled, but he took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. After all, the kid would have to know some day. It was only a matter of time before they encountered _them_ again. But not tonight.

"No." He replied, with a monotone voice. "I have nothing like that."

Even Hotaru could see that she had touched a delicate subject. She realized too late it was a delicate question. Many people had lost their families since the dictatorship started. "I see. You should eat before it gets cold. I'll get out of your hair, now."

She stood up and started leaving.

"Masamune told me." Suddenly said Haruki. "About your parents. I'm sorry."

She remained silent for a moment, as memories of that night resurfaced in her mind. "It's alright. I'm not the only one who's lost someone in this cursed war. You guys have probably lost people as well. I don't know why my case would be special."

"It doesn't matter if your case is special or not. You suffered, that's all anyone needs to know. That makes you a victim of the war just like everyone here."

"I didn't come here to be pitied." She said. "I came here to fight. Goodnight Haruki."

And with those words, the newbie exited the room, without so much as throwing him a final glare. Those kinds of wounds were so easily reopened. He knew that better than anyone, and he felt sorry for Hotaru. Because this place was not done making their newbie's heart bleed.

* * *

" _Mom? What's going on? Why is dad on the floor? I that blood?! What's happening mom? I don't understand."_

" _Hotaru..." Said the woman, who was struggling to talk and to move alike. "Get out of here now. You need to escape."_

" _But mom..."_

" _Go! That's an order!"_

" _Seems your daughter is just as stubborn as you, Kane."Said the voice of the man standing in front of them, holding a gun in his hand._

" _Why Tamaki?" Asked the woman, forcing herself to her feet. "I don't understand..."_

" _Why you ask? That's easy. You stole everything from me, Kane. And he betrayed me. I'm just taking back what's mine. You two can go rot in hell. Don't worry though, I'll take good care of Hotaru. I'll make sure she endures everything I did all these years. And you both can watch from the other side."_

" _HOTARU RUN!" Shouted Kane before throwing herself on the man._

 _A gun shot resonated, and Kane's body fell on the ground, besides that of her husband._

" _MOOOOOOOOMMMM!"_

* * *

Hotaru sprang up from her sleeping back, gasping her lungs out. It took her a minute to realize where she was and she panted heavily, as the sweat fell off her face. She looked around and saw the sun wasn't up yet. It was that dream again.

'I thought I got over that. Damn it!' She thought, pressing her hand on her face to remove the sweat and tears.

"Tachibana?"

She looked up to see Yukimura, who was sleeping next to her put his glasses on.

"I'm sorry, Yukimura." She apologized. "I didn't mean to wake you up. I'll just go back to sleep."

"You're nightmare must've been pretty awful for you to have night terror. Am I wrong in assuming this isn't the first time."

Hotaru gave him a sad smile. "You're clever, Yukimura. I have that same nightmare every couple of days or so."

"It might help to talk."

"Oh, uh... I-I wouldn't want to bother you with my problems."

"We're comrades Tachibana. Everything that affects you also affects the rest of us."

The sniper laid back down but kept his eyes open and on her. She understood that he wasn't giving her a choice. And who knew? It might help relieve the pain in her stomach. She laid back down as well and whispered as to avoid waking up Matsuoka and Haruki.

"It's not a dream actually." She started. "It's the night my parents were murdered. I see it as clearly as if it was yesterday. I see my dad already dead on the ground, in a pool of his own blood... and my mom protecting me and getting shot too..." She didn't realize that her eyes had started to water and tears were streaming down.

Yukimura observed the kid in front of him, taking in his pain and sadness. He'd seen some pretty awful things in these past four years, but Hotaru was the tough type. If something had shaken her to this point, it must have been particularly unsettling. He looked at his watch. 6:30am. It was time for him to get up too. He straightened up and opened his sleeping bag.

"You don't look like you'll fall asleep again. Why don't you come with me?"

"Where are we going?"

"I'll explain on the way. Don't wake up those two."

Hotaru got out of her sleeping bag and stretched while Yukimura went to the other side of the room to pick up a bag and his gun. Hotaru grabbed her own and followed him out of the building. The first rays of the sun were appearing and the streets were empty and for once felt peaceful. After catching up to the sniper, the girl finally got fed up with the silence.

"So, where exactly are we going?"

"Mattsun was suppose to tell you at breakfast, but since you're with me I'll explain. The info Taka gave us is about another gang leader called Kuro. He's more of a pain in the ass to track down than Python was. Apparently, his gang is going to have a meeting in a building not far from here. It's our chance to get our hands on him. We don't know exactly when though, but it's sometime in the next two days. So I'm scheduled to keep watch and keep Mattsun informed."

"So where gonna be on stakeout for two days?"

"Yep."

With his free hand, the sniper searched his back and pulled out an apple that he tossed at the youngster. "Eat up. It'll help you hold on until breakfast."

"Thanks Yukimura."

"Oh, and just so we're clear, you're under my orders while we're there. No running off."

"Yeah, okay."

A low, wail like sound reached their ears and both of them whipped around, hands on their guns. Both rebels relaxed when they saw that the sound was produced by an elderly woman all covered up in a dirty cloak. She seemed to have fallen down and had trouble standing. Hotaru quickly rushed over and knelt down in front of her.

"Are you alright, ma'am?" She asked, as she helped her up. "Are you hurt?"

"Thank you for the help young man. I'm alright." She said, slowly with a tired voice. "You wouldn't happen to have anything to eat on you, would you?"

Without a second of hesitation, the blond offered her apple to the elderly who smiled and brought a hand to touch her just above the chest, brushing the skin. "You have a good heart, young man. Thank you."

"Tachibana, hurry up."

"You're welcome. Excuse me but I have to go."

Hotaru quickly jogged back to catch up to Yukimura, missing the grin stretching across the elderly woman's face. When she joined him, the sniper sigh.

"You're too kind for your own good, Tachibana. You should really be careful. Now you'll be hungry for a while."

"Don't worry about me, I can manage. Unlike that old lady. She probably can't feed herself."

"You are one extraordinary fellow, Hotaru Tachibana."

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"Hurry up." He said picking up the pace and ignoring her question. "We have a schedule."

"R-right!"

The young rebel focused on following the sniper and failed to notice the small brown spot that had started to appear on her chest.

* * *

 **Please review!**


	9. Tooru Yukimura

**Hi guys! It's been a while! I'm finally back in action! I hope you're enjoying your summer/winter, depending on which side of the globe you're on!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Hotaru and Yukimura walked for about a half hour before finally reaching their destination. Big surprise, it was another run down building. Both rebels went up to the roof and set their belonging there. The sniper adjusted his gun to see if he had a clear view of the entire building facing them.

"This should do fine."

"What now?" Asked Hotaru, who was distractingly scratching the skin above her torso.

"Now the stakeout begins. We wait and observe." Replied the sniper sitting down and leaning against the three foot wall that surrounded the edge of the roof.

Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a pair of binoculars that he tossed at the girl. Hotaru caught it and took a peek around. She knew it was still early, but she got surprised at the lack of people. This place was practically empty even though these spaces could make nice homes for some people. So why was the whole place completely deserted. Yukimura seemed to read her mind.

"This is a Zero Zone."

"What's a Zero Zone?"

"An unconquered territory. Gangs are fighting over it to gain control of it. People don't want to be caught in the cross fire. Until a gang is decided victor, no one's stupid enough to hang around here. It might look quiet now, but trust me. All hell can break loose at any moment. I've seen it multiple times."

A dark shadow was covering the sniper's eyes. He didn't look like he was the type to easily loose his cool. According to Haruki, he was a writer at the core. Not a soldier. The things he'd seen were probably a lot more terrifying than anything he'd ever written. None the less, the girl couldn't help but be curious.

"What about the market and the traders?"

"Even gangs need those, so they usually leave them be."

"Where do the normal people stay then?"

"Some form small communities that we call villages. And they usually hide in unpractical locations far from everything to stay away from the gangs. Others join gangs that aren't so power hungry and don't exploit them too much. And the rest are forced to join the major gangs because they need medical care."

Hotaru clenched her teeth. "That's terrible. How can they be so selfish? I can't forgive this! Medics are here to help everyone and they just use them for there own benefits?"

"Calm down, Mr Hothead. Don't put everyone in the same bin." Said Yukimura with a calm voice. "Medics can be greedy as well. The ones you're talking about are the Red Stars. They're the ones who swore to help all and swear loyalty to no gang. You'll find that some medics are as greedy as gang members."

"What about Toy Gun?" She asked. "What's our role in all of this?"

Yukimura stared at the girl and wondered if he should really tell the newbie. After all, the kid was an idealist. But that dream was impossible, at least in Yukki's eyes. Taking down Kagetora? Stabalizing the situation of Tensora was already very distant. The man sighed and readjusted his glasses before speaking.

"Our job is to take out the gangs that cause trouble and stabilize the situation here." He said.

"And once that's done, then we'll take down the dictator!" Proudly said the girl.

"Sure whatever." Quietly whispered the sniper. "By the way, did you get any further in your book?"

"Huh? Oh, no. I didn't get much time to read and english is still very hard for me. I don't understand most of the words."

"What did you get from it?"

"Let's see... It's the story of a girl that's left in a cave because she's sick … And when she gets out, she gets angry at the people who put her there... That's about it." She said with an embarrassed smile.

"Huh, not bad. It's almost that. The girl is locked up because she's a monster."

"A monster? I didn't get that."

"Her father was a demon and her mother a human. Her mother died after giving birth to her, and because of her appearance they locked her up in a dungeon, not a cave."

He explained this as he verified that his gun was operational and in good shape. But when he looked up again, he saw that the kid was kneeling right next to him, looking at him with a silly toothless smile and eyes glowing with impatience.

"What's up with you?"

"Can you tell me more? Please Yukkimura!" She let out.

" _Can you tell me more? Please Mom!"_

His eyes widened at the flashback. This kid reminded him of himself as a boy. He'd always been shunned by his pears as a child because he preferred books over sports. So he preferred hanging out with adults that understood his love for literature. He had the exact same enthusiasm as the kid in front of him. The sniper was surprised. Their newbie seemed to really have an interest in the story. Like a little kid. He couldn't help but smile himself. And there he thought the kid couldn't surprise him anymore. He chuckled and ruffled the blond hair.

"You look like a kid in front of a piece of candy. Sorry Tachibana. Story time is for later. We have work to do."

Hotaru looked disappointed but quickly got her serious face back. "Okay! What should I do?"

The sniper searched his bag and pulled out what looked like an old radio. He explained to Hotaru how to turn it on and off and told her how to regulate it to the right frequency. "At some point we'll change frequencies. It helps us communicate without being picked on by the military."

"But I thought the military wasn't present in Tensora."

"That's true most of the time. But the fact is, Kagetora sends spies regularly to monitor the situation and report. If they catch wind of us being around, we'll be their target."

"I understand now." Replied the youngest of the two. "So, we each have a radio?"

"Yes. And we change code names every time we change frequencies too."

Her eyebrows rose in surprise. "We have code names? Seriously? That's so cool!"

"This isn't a game, Tachibana." Said Yukimura with a reproachful tone which immediately calmed down the excited girl.

"Sorry." She apologized, looking down.

The sniper sighed before continuing. "My current code name is Husky. Mattsun is Golden Retriever and Haruki is Greyhound. You get to pick whatever you want. Personally, I think Chihuahua suits you."

"Hey!" Protested the girl.

"Relax, I'm joking." He said without so much as a hint of a smile.

'Not really though.' He thought to himself. 'You're so hyper it suits you perfectly.'

Hotaru brainstormed a little. She liked animals but she didn't know much about dogs. So she didn't know what type was her favorite. When she was a kid, a german shepherd bit her once, therefore she preferred smaller dogs.

"My dad had a Jack Russel when he was a kid. I guess that would be fine."

At those words, Yukimura had to place both his gloved hands on his mouth to keep from exploding in laughter. 'That's doesn't change much from Chihuahua...'

"Hum? Are you okay Yukimura?" She asked, concerned.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't sweat it." He said managing to choke his laughter before taking something else out of his bag. "Anyways. Here, take this map. The trail marked in red is the one you have to follow. You have to check if there's anyone around and report to me while I watch from here. We'll do a new one every hour until they show up. Any question? You got all of that?"

"Yes!" Assured. "I'll go right away."

The borderline hyperactive girl dashed down the the stairs and followed the route indicated on the map. But as she walked and kept her eyes and ears open for the slightest signs of movement, her head started feeling heavy and she had to shake her head to keep herself awake.

'It must be because I didn't get much sleep last night. I'm probably hungry too.' Slapping her hands on both her cheeks, she attempted to wake herself more. "Get a grip Tachibana! Now's not the time to think about food! You have to focus on work." She ordered herself.

She finished going around the place, without so much as spotting a stray dog. But no matter how hard she focused on her scouting, the headache remained. Still, she didn't loose focus and finished her tour of the area before joining the sniper and telling him everything was quiet.

"Good. Mattsun or Haruki should bring us food soon. You can relax for now."

The girl gratefully sat down in a shaded area to escape the rising the sun that was starting to heat up Dorado. She scratched the skin over her torso again as it was itching. She coughed as she felt her throat itching as well.

'I hope they get here soon.' She thought wiping the sweat that had already started to appear off her forehead. "Hey, Yukimura. Do you have some water with you? I'm really thirsty."

"Here." He said handing her a metallic bottle. "Don't drink it all too fast. We each get a liter and a half a day and that's it."

"That's it?"

"We don't know when the next storm will be. We have to be careful with our resources."

"Yeah, I know."

Hotaru brought the bottle to her lips and drank slowly. The water was refreshing and her throat and head felt better after. But the growling of her stomach was so loud, that the sniper jumped when he heard it before laughing.

"I rest my case : you really are a weird human being."

"That was uncalled for..." Pouted the youngest of the two. "I'm just not used to the food quantity we get here yet."

"You're the one who gave your food away, don't complain. Were you a big eater?"

She smiled proudly at him. "My mother used to tell me that I had a black hole instead of a stomach."

"Why would you be proud of that?" He said sweat dropping. "Here, you'd be considered a mortal danger."

Yukimura rearranged his gun and checked the area with his dot sight and Hotaru caught a glimpse of something shinny around his neck. She realized it was a simple golden ring dangling from a military tag chain.

"Yukimura? What's that around your neck?"

He turned back to her but didn't reply right away. Instead he grabbed the small object in the palm of his hand and stared at it for a long moment. The wind blew and played with his black mane. He seemed lost in thought and his eyes were very distant. He then closed his hand on it and closed his eyes before bringing it closer to his heart.

"Uh, Yukimura?" Asked the girl confused. "Are you alright?"

He lifted his head as if she'd just called him out of nowhere. He hid the chain back under his shirt. "I'm fine." He simply replied.

At the briefness of his response, Hotrau suddenly felt really bad. Matsuoka had said that their pasts were private and they were in no mean obligated to divulge them to their comrades if they didn't want to. Perhaps she'd been prying too much.

"I'm so sorry, Yukimura!" She exclaimed. "I didn't mean to pry, I promise..."

"Relax Tachibana." His voice was almost a whisper, like something broke his voice. But it was enough to calm down the girl. "This is my good luck token."

"Then... it hold nice memories?"

"Both good and bad. It's my most prized possession."

"I have one too!"

Yukimura raised his head curiously and saw the young rebel take out the moon shaped necklace and show it to him. "This was my mother's necklace. This and my book are the last things I have left of my parents. It also holds good and bad memories. But, just like your ring, I think it's my most precious thing."

"Looks like you and I are not that different Tachibana."

"Yukimura, I don't want to sound like I'm prying or invading your privacy. But I really want to learn about all of you. You are my comrades after all. I want to know where you were before, the things you like... Because the more I'm with you guys, the more I feel like I don't know you at all." She flashed him a smile. "So, will you please tell me more about you sometime?"

Again, this kid had just surprised him. How was it possible to be like this after what he'd seen here? And Mattsun had told him that the kid had been in jail for the past four years. In the Capital no less. Who throws a thirteen year old kid in jail? Usually when Kagetora got pissed at a family in particular, everyone was killed no exception. What could her parents possibly have done for them to be killed and for their child to end up in jail? Having been used to the atmosphere of never-trusting-anyone that was ever present in Tensora, Tooru was used to not asking questions. He'd lost his natural curiosity towards people in general. But by everything Hotrau said and did, it seemed to revive that curiosity and the writer inside of him. No matter how easy to read and open the kid in front of him was, at the same time, he remained an incredible mystery to the sniper. And he found himself wanting to know more about this strange person. Just looking at him almost made him want to believe that someday, Kagetora would be taken down. And everything could return to normal.

'Darn it.' He internally cursed. 'I just had to meet the only person not broken down by the war.'

He sighed. "I suppose Haruki already started spilling."

"Not really. He just told me that you're a writer."

"Was." Corrected the sniper.

"What did you write? Anything I would know? Did you have a pen name?"

'So much for not prying.' Thought Tooru sighing yet again. "I don't think you'd know me. The books I wrote weren't exactly for kids. Hey, does that mean I get to ask you questions too?"

"Uh, y-yeah. Of course!"

She couldn't tell him no after dropping a speech like that on him. If she got to invade their privacies, then technically her comrades should be allowed to know about her too. But the sniper's sharp eyes did not miss the hint of uneasiness in their latest recruit's voice. He didn't need more to know that there were indeed somethings that she didn't want to reveal. Just like the rest of them.

"How old are you really?" He asked.

"I already told you, I'm seventeen."

"Yeah, I don't believe you. If you were a sickly, I wouldn't doubt you so much. But there's no way you can be seventeen and look so scrawny with that monster strength of yours."

"I'm not lying! And you don't look your age either, Yukkimura!" Growled back the vexed girl.

"Ah, so he spilled on my age too." Said the sniper as he frowned angrily. "Well then if he wants to be like that, I can play dirty too. Did you Haruki cries in his sleep sometimes?"

"Really?" Replied Hotaru her eyes widening in surprise.

"Yep, almost every night. He acts like a tough guy, but he's a total wuss. That and he has the biggest inferiority complex I've ever seen... OW!"

Hotaru jumped when a bag collided with the back of the sniper's head, making both look up. Standing at the entrance of the roof was a pissed off Haruki, carrying his gun and another bag. His eyes were throwing daggers at the sniper. "Who's got an inferiority complex, you four-eyed pervert?"

"I'm simply telling the truth. That'll teach you to spill on me."

"I just told him your age and ex-profession! How does that count as spilling anything!" Protested the weapon expert.

"It does to me."

"Fine, fine! Stop sulking. Geez. Hey, newbie! Catch."

Haruki tossed the other bag he was carrying at Hotaru. She opened it and discovered it contained food, a sleeping bag and a torchlight. Her eyes widened as she contemplated the feast, but Haruki's voice stopped her from throwing herself on the food.

"Listen before you start drooling, you animal." He said. "This is your supply for today and tomorrow. Don't go wasting all of it now, because you won't get anything else. Alright?"

"Got it!" She said saluting.

"And don't forget that you each get a liter and a half of water a day, no more. So mind your drinks too."

"I think he got it mother hen." Said Tooru.

"I am not a mother hen!" Shouted Haruki, exasperated by the sniper's constant sarcastic comments.

"Anyways, where's Matsuoka?" Asked Hotaru.

"Waiting for me in the jeep. I gotta go. We're gonna hang around the merchants street, so we won't be too far. When you guys spot them, give us a call. You know the drill Tooru."

"Yes, mom."

"Screw you, man." Growled the weapon expert, vexed. "I'm leaving."

* * *

 **A few hours later...**

The day went by pretty quickly without their target showing up. Stakeouts were usually very boring for Toy Gun members, since they had to do it alone. Waiting hours for days, waiting for their targets under the scorching sun of Tensora was annoying and tiring. It was the first time that it went by so fast for Yukimura. The newbie was hard to ignore, not that it bothered him. Even though he was an introvert, he'd enjoyed speaking with Hotaru for the day. The kid just could not stop asking questions some were technical and most of them ridiculous. None the less, he now understood what Haruki had meant by babysitting. Hotaru was a handful and he wasn't used to dealing with someone like him. He was exhausted. But now that night had returned, they'd started taking night shifts. He'd taken the first half and Hotaru was now snoring in his sleeping bag. Both of them were also wrapped into the extra covers that Haruki had brought because it was much colder outside during the night.

Tooru liked being outside at night. He didn't chilly easily and as a former artist, he loved nothing more than gazing at the night sky. One of the advantages of the always sunny weather of Tensora was that the sky was rarely covered. And at night, it was magnificent. The moon was croissant shaped tonight. When he contemplated that magnificent universe, he felt like human kind was so small compared to the rest and that in the eyes of time, this pitiful dictatorship was an insignificant incident. It took him away from this conflict at least for a few moments.

'Will this world ever be for us? Will we ever stop fighting? Where are you right now? What are you thinking?' He thought, as he brought his gloved hand to his chain.

Dry coughing pulled him out of his contemplation and his eyes fell on Toy Gun's newbie. He was coughing very hard now. The sniper felt the irritation in his throat. Of all the times to fall sick, it had to be now. He'd noticed that Hotaru had started coughing since the afternoon and he saw him wipe sweat of his face constantly. Sure it was hot during the day, but even he didn't sweat that much and he had the heaviest clothes in the whole group. As Hotaru didn't stop coughing, he sighed and approached the sleeping newbie. Taking off his scarf, he wrapped it around the kid's neck and then dropped the rest of his water of the day into his mouth. After swallowing the water, his coughing calmed down and he seemed to go back to a peaceful sleep. Tooru stayed near the newbie for a moment.

" _So, will you please tell me more about you sometime?"_

His words rang in Yukimura's head. Even though he'd been involved in this war since the beginning, he still spoke about the future. Was it wrong to let him fill himself with hope like this? Or could it become their greatest strength?

'Am I aloud to hope like you do, Tachibana?' He chuckled to himself when he realized what he'd just thought. "How dare you make me hope, you stupid kid? Don't you know I gave up long ago? This place, this country... Everything is rotten. It's almost dead. Why would you even want to save it? You're a hopeful fool. Just like Mattsun."

He'd whispered all of that to the sleeping Hotaru, before returning to his post. He decided to let the sick kid rest the rest of the night. It wasn't like he wasn't used to all nighters anyways. Man he was starting to act like Haruki. And he really wasn't one to baby other people, not even Mattsun. Much later, about an hour before the sunrise, the noise of motors got his attention. Grabbing his binoculars, he saw a couple of vehicles park in the streets near the building they were watching. Armed men rushed inside the building.

'Looks like Kuro and his gang finally arrived.'

Grabbing the radio, he found the right frequency. "Husky to Golden Retriever."

" _Golden Retriever. I'm listening."_

"The target's arrived. And it looks like the whole gang is present."

" _Good. We'll be there ASAP. Can I count on you to handle the adrenaline junkie?"_

"Roger."

With that call, he failed to notice the extra four caped individuals that entered the building last.

* * *

 **Oh, dear what's going to happen to our sweet Hotaru?**

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	10. Ao

**Hey guys! Hope you're doing awesome!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The Toy Gun jeep made it's way towards the area that Yukimura and Hotaru were watching over and stopped a couple of blocks away. Masamune and Haruki grabbed their guns. The sun was rising giving them better light, so they left behind their flashlights and quickly made their way stealthily through the empty streets until they reached the building.

"Golden Retriever to Husky." Said the leader in his radio. "Give me an update on the situation."

" _Everything inside is quiet. Most of the windows are covered, so I can't see much. They seem to be gathered on the west side of the sixth floor. It seems quiet for now._ "

"Okay, we're going in. Keep an eye on Hotaru, I don't want him barging in if it's unnecessary."

" _Roger._ "

Yukimura watched his comrades enter the building before turning to Hotaru and giving a kick to his sleeping bag. He was certain he'd awakened the newbie twice since the first call with Masamune.

"Get up, Tachibana." He said without raising his voice. "We need to be ready for anything."

Hotaru opened her eyes again and sat up. Her head spun horribly and she felt ten times worse than the day before. She wanted to puke and her throat was so dry that the very air she was breathing was hurting her. She grabbed her gourd and took a quick sip before getting out of her sleeping bag and grabbing her gun. She sat next to Yukimura but from what she was seeing everything was quiet.

"About time, newbie."

"Sorry." She apologized. "Are Matsuoka and Haruki in there already?"

"Yeah."

"I'll go assist them!" She exclaimed jumping on her feet.

But before she could dash away, the sniper extended a hand and grabbed her ankle without ever taking his eyes away from his scope. That resulted in Hotaru falling face first on the ground.

"OW! What was that for Yukimura?" Hotaru growled angrily.

"Quiet down, Tachibana. We're still on stakeout." Scolded the man with glasses. "Mattsun said to stay put until he calls for us. So sit tight and wait."

'Geez even when he's sick, he's hyperactive.' Thought the sniper.

Hotaru rubbed her sore elbows and wiped the sweat off of herself when she realized she had Yukimura's scarf around her neck. She took it off due to the heat and folded it properly before placing it on top of his bag. She then took her place next to him again and waited.

"Yukimura, thank you for the..."

She got interrupted when the sniper suddenly straightened up, a look of shock in his eyes. Just after shooting was hear inside the buildind. Yukimura jumped to his feet.

"Tachibana, you stay here! Don't move from here until we come get you!"

Before she could even answer, he jumped on his feet picking up his gun and dashed towards the stairs. Hotaru then saw him rush into the street and enter the building where Masamune and Haruki were. The girl stared at the building more confused than ever. Yukimura's orders resonated in her ears and so she waited, staring. They were pros after all. Hotaru decided to obey and have faith in her comrades. She waited and waited until the firing in the old building stopped.

What was going on? Yukimura had been gone for too long... Just what did he see through his scope? And why did he tell her to stay here? Hotaru forced herself to cough to clear the annoying irritation she'd had in her throat for a while. Her aching head was spinning again and she found herself wanting to return her dinner from time to time.

'I must have caught a cold or something.' She thought. 'I hope I don't have a fever. That would be a hassle. And Haruki would definitely think I'm trying to take it easy. Still, what's taking them so long?'

The girl stood back up and glanced at the building her comrades had entered. If she had a scope, she could see what was happening from where she was. But as she didn't hear anything, she supposed that nothing bad could be happening. How wrong she was. Her throat started scratching her again and she once more violently coughed, to the point where she used up all the oxygen in her lungs and took a deep breath after. She brought her bottle to her mouth and emptied it.

"Shoot, I used it all up. Matsuoka won't give me another until tomorrow." She sighed. "Guess I'll have to hold up until then."

A sudden sensation of exhaustion came over the tomboy and her body felt like it weighted a ton. Hotaru leaned on the wall and closed her eyes. She passed her hand on her forehead to wipe the sweat off.

'What's wrong with me?' She wondered as her head started spinning again. 'Maybe I've been under the sun too long...'

POW!

The sound of the gunshot made the girl almost jump out of her skin and get to her feet. I definitely had come from the building her friends were inspecting. But all the firing had ceased a while ago. A bad feeling suddenly got a hold of the girl's guts. Hotaru quickly searched the bag for her radio.

"Matsuoka, can you hear me? What's going on?" She asked, only to receive no answer.

She tried to call for Haruki and Yukimura but neither of the two answered either. Something was terribly wrong, she could feel it in her tensed up muscles. Without wasting anymore time, the teen grabbed her gun and ran down the stairs as fast as she could before dashing into the building. She ran up the stairs as fast as she could to reach the sixth floor.

Meanwhile Matsuoka was cursing himself. How could he have been so stupid? Of course it was a trap, and he'd fallen for it like an amateur. And now there they were. Yukki was passed out on the floor at the feet of Eagle Eye. Haruki was on his knees and held at gun point by the Assault Destroyer. The Icy Sword was standing in a corner a blank expression on his face but never taking his eyes off his twin. And the King was shoving a gun in his face with that sadistic grin he always had. Sweat dripped down his face and the blond man bit his lower lip to stay calm. The man with the green hair was considerably shorter than him by half a head. But his presence was much more threatening and created an atmosphere so heavy in the room that Matsuoka could practically taste it in the air.

"Hello Masamune." Said the man in the white uniform as if he was greeting an old friend. "It's been a while. I've got to admit, it took us longer to find you this time. You're progressing, aren't you? I guess it's still possible for a young dog to learn new tricks, isn't it Golden retriever?"

Matsuoka clenched his teeth. Was there anything this guy couldn't do? The shorter man's grin widened when he saw the distraught and frustrated expression on Toy Gun's leader.

"Get on your knees." Ordered the man. "And be quick about it. Or your undisciplined mutt is going to loose an eye." He threatened pointing his second winchester towards the passed out Yukimura.

Matsuoka knew better than to try to save his pride with him. He quickly executed the order he was given and got to his knees, his eyes never breaking contact with the gun that was staring him in the face. A couple of sweat drops slid down his face and dripped off his chin.

"But you never learn, do you Masamune?" Continued the green haired man, leaning towards Matsuoka and grabbing his chin to make him look at him. "No matter what hole you crawl in, I'll always end up smoking you out."

Again, the blond man didn't reply and stayed silent. Instead he averted his eyes and looked at his passed out comrade. Thank God Hotaru wasn't here, though. Who knew what that bastard would do to the kid? His thoughts were interrupted when he received a foot in the face, sending him to the ground. His head hit the wall and a filet of blood started dripping from his forehead down his face along with the sweat.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you." Said the man in white suddenly irritated.

His vision was still blurry from the shock, but Toy Gun's leader forced himself to look up at his foe who was suddenly smiling again. "You're hiding something from me aren't you?"

That comment made Matsuoka freeze. The Commander of the Hoshishiro force took a step closer to his prisoner and knelt down on one knee in front of him.

"Bullseye." He said, his grin turning into a smirk, showing off snow white teeth. "You're different from usual. The first reflex you had when seeing us this time wasn't taking out your gun but break your radio. Why did you do that I wonder?"

"..."

Midori could be as patient as he wanted to be, but that didn't apply to when he wanted an answer from Matsuoka. He truly loved his job. Because there wasn't anything more fun than hunting down his former comrade. Mostly because he wasn't good at controlling his fear and tormenting him was hilarious to the sadistic doctor. But right now, what he really wanted to know was that secret. Masamune was as easy to read as an open book to him. Tired of the silence, he grabbed and handful of the blond man's hair and roughly pulled on it to make him look up. Matsuoka's face muscles contracted, showing off the pain and anxiety even more.

"Answer me." He ordered.

After a couple of heavy breaths, Toy Gun's leader finally opened his mouth. "I … I didn't want Yukki to know you were here … I knew he'd come running."

"Is that so?"

"Yes...argh!"

A loud grunt escaped his lips when Midori's fist collided with his stomach, sending him right back down. Matsuoka held his stomach painfully and coughed loudly while Hoshishiro's Commander stood back up.

"That's no good, Masamune." Slowly enunciated his tormentor as if he was scolding a child. "You should know better than to lie to me."

Once more, Matsuoka forced himself to look up at him. "I'm... not lying." That sentence earned him another kick in the ribs.

"Stop it, you bastard!" Shouted Haruki this time. "He's telling the truth!"

Midori turned to his subordinate's doppelgänger. "Really how pitiable. You're even teaching your boys to lie too. You're a terrible example, Masamune. Maybe I should teach them some manners by cutting their tongues out."

His comrade's doppelgänger, who'd been stoic and quiet this hold time, suddenly straightened up and turned to face the Commander. He was throwing him a murderous glare that meant warning. This made their enemies's chief raise his arms and laugh.

"Relax, Haruka. I'm only joking. After all, we have a deal don't we? And I always keep my promises."

Somehow this made the younger man's stoic expression return to his face and relax. Midori smiled to himself. He really was too good at this game. The doctor turned his attention back to the man at his feet. Matsuoka was still shaking in pain.

"Alright, let's do it this way then." He declared after a few seconds of reflexion. "Haruki Hosokawa. Tell me what you're all hiding from me, and I won't have to break Masamune's fingers."

"You son of a ..." Started the weapon expert, throwing a murderous glare at the green-haired man.

"It's really not that complicated." Interrupted the doctor. "Let's make it a guessing game. You're lying when you say that it was Yukimura that you were trying to warn. But you wanted to warn someone didn't you?"

The change of expression on the rebel's face once more betrayed their thoughts and Midori knew that he'd guessed right again. "So you have a new recruit, how sweet. I wonder how long he'll last though. The last one turned out to be a disappointment."

'Shit.' Cursed Matsuoka, on the inside.

"So what's he like?" The only response he got was utter silence from both men. "I see. Maybe I should take a look around and find him myself."

At that precise moment, the metal door was kicked open so hard, that everyone in the room jumped.

"MATSUOKA!" Shouted the girl as she bursted into the room, sweat falling off her face and panting like she'd just run a marathon.

The blondie froze when she saw the people in white uniforms and her comrades on the ground. She looked at the man with the winchesters. She recognized him instantly : it was the man that had helped her escape the Salamander HQ.

"Ao?"

Toy Gun's leader quickly shouted. "Hotaru! Get out of here!"

That earned him to be stepped on the head by the Commander. "Stay quiet, you." Ordered the green haired man before turning to the skinny teen and smiling at her. "Well, well. We meet again my Stalker. I have to say this is a nice surprise. So your name is Hotaru."

The girl's eyes glowed with anger and she pointed her gun towards him, only to have it kicked out of her hands by Haruka, who immediately tried to hit her again in the head. Her mouth opened in surprise as she thought for a moment that there were two Haruki in the room. But Hotaru was too instinctual to let her guard down too long and blocked his kick. This guy was about as strong as Haruki but seemed a lot faster and agile. She dodged another one of his kicks and grabbed the pocket knife Yukimura had given her. Dodging yet another left hook, she sent her foot flying into her opponent's knee. Hotaru didn't miss him clenching his teeth in pain, which gave her a second of distraction. It was plenty for someone as reactive as her. But just as she readied her knife and took a step, she realized that no air was getting in her lungs. Her entire body froze up. She dropped her knife and coughed loudly, trying to regain some air, but very little oxygen was getting in. She started panting like a dog and kept coughing. So bad to the point that she fell on her knees, clutching her throat. Her vision got blurry and everything around her became unclear.

'What's happening?' She thought, as she started panicking. 'I can't breath...'

Everything was getting so distant. Toy Gun, Hoshishiro... She didn't even feel her opponent get behind her and grabbing her under the arms to immobilize her. She was too focused on getting her breath back as the air she was inhaling was slowly decreasing.

'What's happening to me?' She thought.

Hotaru looked around for Matsuoka, for a smile, for something to reassure her... But everything was so blurry she couldn't make out the faces or even the sounds. Midori looked at the young rebel curiously. Something was clearly wrong with the kid. The commander of the Hoshishiro force approached her.

"Hotaru!" Shouted Matsuoka, attempting to get up. But a foot on his back and a sniper gun's barrel pointed at him sent him right back down. "Don't move, Toy Gun dog." Threatened the woman throwing him a menacing glare.

Midori took off his glove and grabbed Hotaru's chin to make her look up. Her eyes were glassy and looking at nothing in particular. The blood that was rushing to her face made it that she was almost as red as a tomato and he could feel the heat on their connecting skins. She was gasping for air. The symptoms seemed obvious but none the less the doctor was a professional. He'd never make assumptions before making sure first. Besides, it was a way to examine Masamune's new toy a little closer. Without any warning, he shoved two fingers in the already half choking youngster's mouth, who had no strength left to do anything except squirm and let out desperate sounds of plea.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Shouted Haruki.

"Let him go, Midori! " Pleaded Matsuoka. "He's only a kid!"

Immediately after that remark, the doctor took his hand back and said. "Dry tongue and throat."

Both Haruki and Matsuoka froze. Was he examining their latest recruit? Both rebels took a closer look at Hotaru's face. Tears were falling out of her eyes, her eyes weren't looking anywhere in particular, her mouth was wide open as she was gasping for air, and non-responsive. There was no way that was normal for their hot-headed newbie. The doctor smirked at the attention he was getting from the rebels. He placed two fingers near her throat to feel her heart rate.

"Fast pulse."

He grabbed the collar of the choking kid and pulled it down a bit to see the skin just above the chest. It was punctured with a couple of light but clearly visible brown spots.

"Dalmatian plague. Advanced phase." Declared the doctor, before turning to Toy Gun's leader. "You're not making a very good job of watching your new recruits Masamune. How careless of you. And of her for that matter."

"Her? Who are you talking about?"

Midori looked at him curiously before laughing his heart out. "Oh no. This is too good. Hahahahahaha! You know what? I think I'll let you figure it out on your own."

Haruki and Matsuoka glanced at each other, more confused than ever. Midori then ordered Haruka to put the kid down. The stoic man let her go and delicately placed her on her back. Midori knelt down. He sighed after taking in the state of the girl again. "It's too bad really. This really won't have lasted long."

"What are you talking about?" Said Matsuoka.

"I told you already, he caught the dalmatian plague. And since he was first infected near the throat, it's very unlikely that he'll survive until evening."

No, this couldn't be happening! Matsuoka bit his lips together. They couldn't loose Hotaru, not to the dalmatian plague of all things! But what could they do? The disease had no cure. Even if it did, it wasn't like they could make it here in Tensora where everything was so... primitive. They'd lost others before, in this cursed war. But … Hotaru was so young. He hadn't even lived yet! This couldn't be the way to go for him. Matsuoka couldn't believe it was God's will to call him back right now.

"Lucky for you..." Suddenly said the doctor getting their attention again. "The reason I came to find you today was this." He showed them a small injection needle. "Central just finished a prevention shot for the dalmatian plague. It's only a prototype, but I know it works. We're the living proof of that."

"I don't get it." Said Yukimura, who'd finally woken up. "Why would a bastard like you want to give us that? What's your game?"

"No game. It's just that your actions and that of the Red Stars helps contain the gang activities in Tensora. You're not completely useless after all, so the Supreme Leader agreed that it was best that you didn't die of stupid things like a medieval age disease."

'That's why he had no problem touching Hotaru barehand.' Thought Matsuoka. 'He's already immune.'

"We don't need it." Shot down the sniper, throwing a murderous glare at the doctor. "Keep your shitty experimental cure for your lab rats!"

"Yukki..." Started Matsuoka, wanting to reason with his friend.

"Don't you get it, Mattsun?!" He shouted at his leader. "If we take what they give us that makes us dependent of them! If we accept this, we'll have to accept more until we're unable to do anything without them! They're trying to control us!"

Yukimura was right, Matsuoka knew that. And the smile on Midori's face was clearly not denying anything the sniper was saying. In any other circumstances, he never wouldn't have understood that. But being immune against the dalmatian plague? That would save them a lot of trouble. It was still a huge advantage.

Another desperate gasp for air from Hotaru made everyone in the room look at the slowly choking youngster. Midori turned back to her and sunk the needle into the veins of her wrist. "I have to warn you though. This serum was created to prevent you from catching the plague. Since she has already caught it, I don't know if it'll do anything. I guess the only thing you can do now is pray to God some more."

The commander got back to his feet and approached Matsuoka before taking another syringe out of his leather pouch. He knelt down in front of the blond man, so that their faces would be at the same level. "It's ironic really. You who prided yourself on protecting your comrades... and here you're carelessness has caused one to be on the brink of death. Nice work."

"Shut your damn mouth!" Replied Yukimura. "How dare you compare us to you? How many people have you killed since Kagetora got the throne?"

"You mean the same scumbags you're trying to protect others from? My method is much more effective than yours."

"You sadistic bastard..." Growled the sniper.

Midori ignored him and grabbed Toy Gun's leader's wrist. He pulled up his sleeve and injected the serum into his veins. The blond man didn't move, unsure of what to do. He was fairly certain that if they tried to resist, the doctor wouldn't give them a choice. Yukki tried to resist but the Commander was much stronger than him and managed to inject him as well without too much trouble. As for Haruki, he stayed quiet and looked away as his brother gave him the shot.

"And with that, we are done here." Declared Midori, picking up his guns and putting them away. "Ichi, Fujimoto, Haruka. We're leaving."

At the order of their superior, the Assault Destroyeur and Eagle Eyes released their hostages and headed for the door. But Haruka stayed back and looked down at his brother that was still on his knees, his eyes still filled with shock from the news.

"Brother, won't you come with me?" He asked.

Every time Toy Gun and Hoshishiro encountered, Haruka asked the same thing to his elder twin brother. But for the first time, Haruki didn't immediately shoot him down. His eyes were still on their latest recruit. It took him a moment to find his brother's face but when he did, Haruki frowned at him as usual.

"Go away."

Haruka sighed and closed his eyes. "Stay alive brother." He simply said before joining his comrades.

The Commander of the Hoshishiro force turned around one last time before leaving. "If your newbie is still alive by tomorrow morning, you can consider him out of danger. Until next time, Masamune. Try not to die by someone else's hand. That job is mine."

The four people in white uniforms excited the building, leaving the Toy Gun members and the dying girl behind.

* * *

 **What are guys going to do now?**

 **PLEASE REVIEW**


	11. Death's grasp

**Hey guys! I am so sorry for the tardiness! I finally finished my other two stories and I can pick up this one! Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

The instant the door shut behind Hoshishiro's Commander and the footsteps of the Special Force died in the hallway, Matsuoka jumped back on his feet, ignoring his protesting beat up body.

"Mattsun, wait!" Shouted Yukimura. "We don't know if that bastard was telling the truth!"

The leader of Toy Gun paid no mind to his best friend's warning and knelt down next to Hotaru, picking her up in his arms. Her breathing seemed easier than before, as she was panting quickly, getting back the air she'd been missing. But she was not out of danger yet. Midori had been clear that she had to make it until morning. Meaning, even now that the three of them were immune, there was nothing they could do for their newest recruit. Matsuoka clenched his teeth together so hard he could've shattered them.

"Damn it!" Shouted Haruki, punching the ground.

Yukki said nothing. He only threw a miserable look at the kid who'd managed to lift up his spirit for the first time since the beginning of this damn war. What a fool he'd been. There was really no point in being determined and optimistic. In the end, you'd die like everyone else and there wasn't a damn thing you could do about it.

"Matsu...oka..." Said a chocked voice that broke the unbearable silent that had invaded the room and added to it's heavy atmosphere.

Toy Gun's leader's eyes flashed open and he saw the newbie looking at him. Her eyes were glassy, almost empty. Yet so much spark had been burning in them ever since she'd first showed up. A shaking and cold hand touched his cheek.

"Why... do you look so sad?" She asked, before coughing to clear her irritated throat.

"Hotaru don't talk. You're going to be fine! I got you! You're going to be fine."

Her eyes were elsewhere. Though she spoke to him, her mind was so far away, slowly fading. Hotaru didn't close her eyes, but she might as well have been asleep. Squeezing the newbie in his arms, Matsuoka got back on his feet.

"We're going back to base." He ordered, before walking out.

Without a word, Yukimura and Haruki stood up and followed after picking up their guns. With miserable looks on their faces, the three men headed back to their HQ without so much as addressing a word to each other. The sniper drove while Matsuoka refused to let go of their young companion. Once back at the abandoned building, they went up to their common space and Haruki laid down a sleeping bag where their leader put down the young rebel. She was panting and sweating buckets. The heat wasn't helping and her eyes were still so empty. Something inside Matsuoka broke and he clenched his teeth again while wiping the sweat of her face. In her delirium she whispered.

"Burn..."

The blond man turned to his sniper. "Yukki, can you try to get a hold of Kanae?"

"What good will that do? You know she won't be able to do anything."

"Just ask her!"

"Alright."

Though he had his usual cool and bored demeanor, the black haired man was anything but calm. He stood up to go back to the jeep and get the radio. As he went down the stairs, he sighed.

"This is why I don't hope, Tachibana." He muttered to himself.

Meanwhile, Haruki grabbed the first aid kit and returned to Hotaru's side. Toy Gun's leader still hadn't moved an inch.

"Mune, go get water and food. I'll wipe the sweat off him."

"Right."

The blond man nodded and exited the room, his eyes still dead. Haruki knelt besides their wounded and proceeded to take off his jacket and shirt. Given that the kid was in a rag doll state, it was easier said than done. But when he removed the chest area, he realized that the newbie's chest was wrapped in bandages.

'Did he injure his chest before coming here?' Wondered the young man.

To make sure, he intended to removed the band, but what his hand felt made his eyes widened in shock. No way. This couldn't be.

* * *

As Masamune returned from bringing the water and provisions. It was happening again. They were loosing another. And why? Because they were too stupid to supervise their newbies. He walked up the stairs and simultaneously silently prayed that God spare Hotaru, since they were powerless. Pushing the door of the main room open, the leader of Toy Gun saw Hotaru buried in the sleeping bag, while Haruki had made a fire for the food.

"How is he? Did you wipe the sweat?"

"Yeah, but that's not gonna help much. I gave him one of my shirts for now. He still has short breaths and his temperature is rising." Replied the younger man. "Take care of the food, I'll try to cool him off."

"I can..."

"I'm the closest thing we have to a medic." Immediately shot down the weapon master. "I'd rather take care of it."

The blond man sighed knowing his subordinate was right. "Alright."

Soon after, Yukimura returned with the radio, defeated. " Kanae is in Kohen. She won't be able to make it here in time before morning. I'm sorry Mattsun."

"Shit!" Cursed the leader.

The sniper sighed before sitting next to his leader. "Even if she was here, there's nothing she could do. This is the dalmatian plague we're talking about. She's a good medic, not a magician."

"I KNOW THAT DAMMIT!"

The sudden shout of their leader made both men jump and look down. They understood him. As leader, he carried the responsibility of the gang. Every loss, every casualty was his fault. Of course not literally, but Masamune was a man who was both at the core generous and caring. That made the backlash of bad events unbelievably painful for him. Yukki hadn't forgotten the day they'd lost Natsumi. Masamune had spent days tending to her grave and praying that this was just a nightmare. If Hotaru were to die as well, it might destroy him. And they couldn't afford to loose him to madness either. He was too needed. He was the only one who could lead them. Yukki had followed him into his crazy idea of restoring a bit of order in Tensora because he had a way of forcing hope into his heart. Just like Hotaru had for a brief moment.

The sniper tightened his grip on his weapon. He already knew he was being a fool for following his leader in his crazy crusade. Sure, it did a little good to the people here but it was insignificant in the long run. He'd almost let that kid give him hope as well for something bigger. The same kid that was now dying in front of them. He didn't trust Midori one bit. A cure for the dalmatian plague? Who was he joking, that bastard?! The black haired man took a deep breath, and did what he always did; bury his anger deep, deep into his heart. So that he could let it explode when he'd meet him again and kill him. After doing so, he sat down on the ground with his friends. None of them were in the mood to eat. But they knew they needed the energy.

The rest of the day went by like this, with them barely talking to each other. Masamune and Tooru completed their duties while Haruki tended to the ever agonizing Hotaru. When the evening set, came the time to rest. They were all exhausted and in need of sleep.

"You guys go rest up." Said Masamune. "I'll stay with Hotaru."

"No, I'll do it." Said Haruki. "Like I said, I'm the closest thing we have to a medic here. Besides, you need to rest more than us, Mune."

"No, I can't. He's my responsibility. I have to..."

"How about we take turns?" Interrupted the sniper, earning himself the surprised looks of his comrades. "Haruki can have to first, then you then me. Three hours each until morning. There's not much we can do besides waiting."

Once they agreed on that, the sniper and the leader hit the pillows while the weapon master stayed with her. With the night had come the cold, but she was still sweating like hell. So he lit a fire to warm up the room but also wiped the sweat off her face and neck regularly. When he took breaks, he'd just look at her face and shake his head. All this time, Hotaru was a girl. That explained a lot actually. What had happened to her? How had the war torn her? It's not like he had taken the time to talk with the kid properly. For her to full on take the appearance of a boy and have this much bloodlust, something atrocious must have happened. And maybe he'd never get a chance to ask.

"You really piss me off, you know." He muttered. "I hate liars. Even my brother doesn't lie. Why did you do it? If we're comrades like you said, then why did you do it?"

As he said those things, he remembered what he saw when he'd changed her. The marks on her back were familiar because he bared the exact same one. Beating marks. From the looks of it, she was marked permanently and much more than him. His marks had mostly been done with a stick, when his father would considered that he failed to do something properly. Hers had clearly been made by a whip. The flesh had been torn open. He suddenly regretted his words. She hadn't entrusted them with her secrets but neither had they. But she'd tried to be interested in them, because that was the kind of honest idiot she was.

"You bragged about being much stronger than you look." He continued whispering, hoping to reach her somehow. "I'm still waiting to see that. So fight Tachibana. I'll kill you if you die."

That's not what he'd wanted to say. But that was just who he was; a dishonest gear head who barely made a decent medic. So, since he couldn't say anything more, he stayed by her side until Masamune woke up and he went to sleep after telling him to make sure to keep the kid warm and wipe the sweat off her face and neck.

Toy Gun's leader had barely slept at all during those three hours. He'd spent them twisting and turning in his sleeping bag, trying to find where he went wrong. Natsumi had come back to haunt him. That poor girl. All she'd wanted was to fight to protect others and do something meaningful in this world that was falling to pieces right under their feet. And all it had taken to crush that wish was a bullet. The blond man clenched his teeth and looked at the face of the suffering patient.

"I'm sorry Hotaru." He said, clutching his face. "I'm so sorry. Don't die on me. I promise, if you don't die, I'll protect you."

* * *

In the truck bringing them back to the Capital, the special force of the Tiger was quiet. Fujimoto was driving, eyes on the road. Haruka had his eyes on the ground, with a miserable look on his face. He was hard to read but they'd been together a while, they could tell. It's not like he was trying to hide it. Ichi was cleaning the guns in the back while the Commander was distractingly looking at the ceiling.

"Do you think that kid is going to make it, Doc?" Asked Fujimoto. "I mean he was infected near the throat..."

"I guess we'll find out when we meet Toy Gun again." Replied the green-haired man shrugging.

"I still don't understand why the Supreme Leader wants us to keep them alive." Said Eagle Eyes, polishing her weapon. "Wouldn't it be easier to just eradicate all the gangs?"

"Why don't you ask him Ichi?" Joked the doctor.

"No thank you." She replied.

"Haha! I'm just kidding. Haruka stop sulking, you're making me nervous."

The youngest Hosokawa twin turned around and threw him a death glare. "As if. Nothing makes you nervous."

"Alright, enough." Said Fujimoto. "We're here, there's no need to fight."

After they parked, Midori immediately made his way to the palace and to the giant meeting room. It was dark outside already, and no lights had been turned on. This made the room reflect the stars and the moon outside. Standing in front of an opened window, staring at the sun's counterpart, stood the Supreme Leader. In a white suit, as usual, wearing silver piercings on his ears and the wind playing with his blond messy hair. Midori smiled and bowed.

"I have returned, your Majesty."

"Welcome back, Doctor." Replied the man without turning around. "I suppose the situation hasn't changed in Tensora."

"It's still quite stable. And nothing nearly close to a rebellion is at work. It's the same old gang activities versus vigilantes."

"Good. I need you to return there very soon."

"Oh? Why may I ask what type of mission you have in mind this time?"

This time, Tamaki Kagetora turned around and went to sit at the rectangular table. "I need you to find someone for me."

* * *

"Don't touch me..."

Masamune had almost fallen asleep when those words reached his ears, awakening him immediately. At first, he thought he had imagined it. But then she repeated.

"Don't touch me...Stay away..."

"Hotaru..."

The young rebel was agitated. She'd rolled on the side and was huddled in the fetal position, clenching her arms, digging her nails in her own skin. Teeth clenched and hyperventilating, tears were escaping her closed eyes. It hit him. She was in terrible pain. The blond man approached a hand to touch her cheek, but she immediately soughed and recoiled at his touch.

"No... don't touch me..."

Whatever she was dreaming about wasn't only scary. It was very much real. Four years of absolute torture and torment were coming back to hit her at her weakest. The voices in her head screamed making her want to give up.

" _Do you feel that pain, Hotaru?" He said, as the blood dripped from her back. "That's nothing compared to what I felt all these years. You can thank your dear mother when you see her in hell. Take your time though. I don't want you dying just yet."_

The words rang in her head and she screamed. She had enough, she wanted to leave. She wanted to be somewhere without pain and without tears. She was tired of hurting. Suddenly, she was wrapped in something warm. Instantly, it chased the pain, the darkness, the voice... Was she aloud to rest now?

"Mom... I want to go home..."

" _Not yet."_ Replied Kane's voice, from far away. _"Not now. You're not done yet."_

Not done? Was she doing something? Did she have something left to complete? For now, she allowed herself to drown in that warmth that surrounded her. Just for a moment, she begged God to let her rest in peace.

Masamune couldn't think of anything else to do, but it looked like it'd worked. She wasn't struggling anymore and the marks of pain on her face were gone. So that's how Tooru found the newbie, gathered up in his leader's arms. He didn't question it. He'd known the man too long not to anticipate this sort of over protective behavior. But he practically had to put him at gun point to force him to go back to sleep so he could take his turn. But even after the leader was gone, the kid was soundly asleep, breathing still hard but quieter. To him, the newbie's final hour was close. He thought about what he'd like if he was dying. Making up his mind, the sniper got up and went to search Hotaru's bag and pulled out Gentle Soul. Then, he went to sit next to her again and opened it.

"You asked me if I could tell you more about that story. I guess now's a good time as ever. The girl in the book? Her name is Eva. She's a half hellhound. It's a sort of werewolf. Her mother was a human and she was killed when the people of her village realized what Eva was. Then, Eva was kept captive in the cave of a dungeon..."

So he told the story, as he reminded himself of the first time he read the book. He translated until his own eyes started closing and he fell asleep.

* * *

The first rays of the sun killed the cold and burned her skin. It was that that awoke her. Her eyes were so dry that her vision was horribly blurry. She blinked a couple of times to hydrate her pupils and get used to the light. Boy was she thirsty. Slowly she sat up and rubbed her face, as the memory of yesterday assailed her consciousness. When she looked around, she found the sniper sitting next to her, leaning on the wall. He was sound asleep and her book was in his hands. Looking further, she saw Toy Gun's leader and weapon expert rolled in their sleeping bags also sound asleep. She tried to breath in through her mouth and discovered her throat to be raspy and dry. That made her cough loudly, making the three men jump out of their sleep.

"What the..." Exclaimed Haruki, instinctively reaching for his gun.

"Holy!" Shouted Masamune.

Tooru only jumped and made the book fall. But their on guard faces quickly turned to looks of glee when they saw the source of the coughing.

"Hotaru!" Exclaimed the blond man getting up and dashing to her side. He grabbed her by the shoulder. "You're alright!"

"I...am?" She replied confused with her chocked voice.

Masamune's heart could've popped out of his chest if he'd felt anymore happy. Squeezing the girl into his arms, tears of relief escaped his eyes. "Thank God. Thank God you're alright!"

"Matsu...oka." She muttered. "Can't breath..."

She coughed again and the blond man suddenly got pulled off of her by Haruki who was holding a gourd. "Stop that! You're gonna choke him for crying out loud."

The weapon expert then knelt next to her and helped her drink the fresh water. More than happy to receive it, the girl gulped down the entire gourd to sooth her raspy throat. "How are you feeling?"

"My head hurts a little..." She said rubbing her skull. "What happened? I remember... Ao. The people in white. And I couldn't breath... then nothing."

The three men looked at each other, before Masamune placed a comforting hand on her head. "You don't have to worry about that now. Hotaru, I just need you to tell me one thing. How and when did you come in contact with the dalmatian plague?"

"I didn't. I don't think so." The girl said, searching her memory. "I didn't touch the man Haruki shot in the merchant street."

The sniper suddenly perked up as the memory of two days ago emerged in his consciousness. If what that bastard Midori said was true about the infection starting at the throat, then this was the only moment when it could've happened. He clenched his teeth in frustration. Right under his nose too!

"Yukki, what's wrong?" Asked Masamune.

"It's the old lady." Explained the ex-writer. "The one you gave your apple to, Tachibana. She touched you above the chest when she thanked you, didn't she?"

"Oh yeah, that's true." Said the girl, remembering. "I started feeling sick right after that."

"Another spreader, damn it!" Cursed Haruki. "We have to warn the traders before she gets to them. An old lady you say, Tooru?"

"Yeah, she'd covered in a dirty purple clock from head to toe. And she has a wooden cane and walks slowly. Or she's faking weakness."

"Got it." Said the leader. "Haruki, can you go warn them?"

"Sorry, I'm staying." Shot down the weapon expert. "I want to make sure this idiot rests properly and if there really isn't any risk. Closest thing to a medic remember?"

"Okay, I'll go myself then. I'll take care of provisions too." Said the blond man standing back up and turning to his sniper. "Yukki, can you try to reach Kanae again?"

"Will do."

Masamune then turned to Hotaru. "Are you gonna be okay?"

Against all odds, the newbie smiled brightly at him. "Of course! I told you; we Tachibana are solid! It takes more than that to get us!"

Her words made him laugh. It looked like the nightmare was over, and on his way to the jeep, the blond man silently prayed to thank Heaven for having spared their latest recruit. Promising himself that nothing like this would happen again, he looked to the sky swearing to the spirit of Natsumi.

'No more. I promise.'

* * *

"Tooru, go call Kanae." Ordered Haruki as soon as the leader departed. "And then make the food. I'm starving and he needs to eat."

"Huh? Why do I have to?" Complained the sniper.

"It's alright, really. I'm not that hungry..." Insisted Hotaru, before her stomach made the noise of a roaring lion.

Haruki couldn't help the angry vein that popped on his forehead showing off his irritation. "You two are pissing me off already. Tooru, go now!"

"Fine, you don't have to be so jumpy." Lazily replied Yukimura getting up. "He's fine anyway."

Despite his words, the sniper grabbed a radio from a bag and headed for the roof to try to get a good signal. Meanwhile, Haruki turned back to Hotaru and sat next to her throwing her a disapproving look. The girl thought she'd become used to his angry face but this was somehow more threatening than usual.

"You and I need to talk." He said with a low voice dripping with anger.

* * *

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